293. [Apollo 12] THE LM INTREPID ABOVE THE MOON PRIOR TO LANDING Richard Gordon, 14–24 November 1969 Printed 1969. Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS12-51-7510]. With "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse, numbered "NASA AS12-51-7510" in red in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas). 20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.) Historical context The Lunar Module Intrepid soars above the Sea of Clouds west of Crater Ptolemaeus in this striking oblique photograph, taken with the 80mm lens. Captured after its separation from Yankee Clipper on orbit 13, Intrepid appears close to the surface but is actually orbiting approximately 60 nautical miles above the Moon. This was one of Richard Gordon's final views of Intrepid before beginning his one-and-a-half-day solo flight around the Moon while Conrad and Bean prepared for landing. As the two spacecrafts drifted apart, both crews marvelled at the sight of their spacecraft above the lunar surface (see mission transcript). "I made a small burn with the Command Module which allowed for separation from the LM, so we wouldn't collide later on. As I was drifting away, I grabbed the Hasselblad and took some pictures out the window. It was simply a matter of pointing the nose of the spacecraft at the Lunar Module." —Richard Gordon (Schick and Van Haaften, p. 80) From the mission transcript as the two spacecraft orbited the Moon (orbit 13): 108:22:25 Conrad: This is one of the better visuals I've seen, Dick. 108:22:29 Gordon: Yes. You are right. I've been taking stills. Literature Full Moon, Light, plate 43 (variant) Voices from the Moon, Chaikin, p. 50 (variant) The View from Space: American Astronaut Photography 1962-1972, Schick and Van Haaften, p. 80 (variant) Apollo 12 Preliminary Science Report (NASA SP-235), p.16 (variant) Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts, Jacobs, ed., p. 10 (variant)