9 candid photo “outtakes” from the Apollo 11 moon landing
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong took the small step for (a) man, giant leap for mankind after the lunar lander touched down on the surface of the moon.
Among the more famous images that we all pretty much know, there were some that never made it into the press; these are the “outtakes” from that mission.
They are rather striking in their humanity; these were astronauts with the right stuff, after all, and when seeing most of the images it’s not easy to remember that they’re quite human behind those suits and of the equipment.
70mm Hasselblad still camera from Apollo 11. Image via Smithsonian.
They’re all available at the Project Apollo Archive, and have been seen more than a billion times since September, 2015.
An astronaut’s boot, on the surface of the moon. (NASA/Project Apollo Archive)
Neil Armstrong, inside the lunar module. (NASA/Project Apollo Archive)
Earth rise over the lunar surface. (NASA/Project Apollo Archive)
Buzz Aldrin in a candid shot. (NASA/Project Apollo Archive)
Lunar module after being jettisoned. (NASA/Project Apollo Archive)
One of the astronauts carrying instruments across the surface. (NASA/Project Apollo Archive)
Buzz Aldrin on the first step of the ladder down. (NASA/Project Apollo Archive)
United States flag left on the lunar surface. (NASA/Project Apollo Archive)
Mission commander Neil Armstrong. (NASA/Project Apollo Archive)
