They are photos which chart the majestic history of man’s first forays into space.
The Apollo 11 rocket lifting off to carry Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon; the first TV transmission from the lunar surface; the very first colour image of Earth taken by a human.
Now, these pictures are among 70 space-related photos and artefacts that are collectively set to fetch up to £41,500 at auction.
The images and accompanying ephemera were collected by the late journalist and author Tim Furniss, who had a long career as spaceflight correspondent for the popular Flight International Magazine, from 1984 until 2006.
They cover historic moments stretching back as far as 1950, when NASA launched its very first rocket launch from the now-iconic Cape Canaveral.
Also included is the first American spacewalk, which was performed by astronaut Ed White over Hawaii in June 1965.
Later images in the collection reveal the very first untethered space walk in 1984 and the horrific Challenger space shuttle disaster that claimed the lives of seven astronauts.
The images are being sold with auction house Dreweatts as part of a wider sale of space-related photographs. The sale is taking place on February 22.
Images collected by the late journalist and author Tim Furniss, who had a long career as spaceflight correspondent for the popular Flight International Magazine, from 1984 until 2006, are set to collectively fetch up to £41,500 at auction. Pictured: The launch of the Apollo 11 Saturn V space vehicle that carried Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon in 1969
The images were collected by the late journalist and author Tim Furniss during his long career as spaceflight correspondent for the popular Flight International Magazine, from 1984 until 2006. Also included in the collection is the first American spacewalk (pictured), which was performed by astronaut Ed White over Hawaii in June 1965
An original copy of the famous Earthrise photo, which was taken during the Apollo 8 mission in December 1968, has an upper sale estimate of £1,200. The image, which is widely regarded as one of the most famous in history, was taken by astronaut William Anders. It is the first colour photo of Earth taken by humans
Writing on Dreweatts’ website, Mr Furniss’s son Thomas said his father’s passion for space began when, aged 12 in 1961, he saw news of Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becoming the first man to journey into space.
From then onwards, he began collecting images that charted the progress of the drive to make it into space and onto the moon.
The images were collected by the late journalist and author Tim Furniss during his long career as spaceflight correspondent for the popular Flight International Magazine
Aged 22, he travelled to the US to cover the launch of Apollo 13 – the mission that was famously turned into a Hollywood film after its disastrous course nearly took the lives of the astronauts on board.
His long career also saw him write a books, one of which marked the 20th anniversary of the 1969 moon landings.
The photograph of the Apollo 11 rocket taking off from Cape Canaveral is expected to sell for up to £1,000.
The image that shows the first television transmission from the moon, in which Aldrin is seen performing his ‘kangaroo’ run, is tipped to sell for up to £500.
An original copy of the famous Earthrise photo, which was taken during the Apollo 8 mission in December 1968, has an upper sale estimate of £1,200.
The image, which is widely regarded as one of the most famous in history, was taken by astronaut William Anders. It is the first colour photo of Earth taken by humans.
During their mission, the three-man Apollo 11 crew orbited the moon ten times and took pictures. They were under orders to get photographs of potential lunar landing sites.
Mr Furniss’s image showing astronaut Ed White performing the very first space walk is set to fetch up to £2,000.
The image, taken by his colleague James McDivitt, is both the first still photograph taken of a human in space and the first image of a human in space which was taken by another human.
Until that point, all released images of astronauts had been taken by television or monitoring cameras.
White is seen during his historic 23-minute space walk in which he was attached to his spacecraft by a 25ft tether line.
The first untethered space walk in 1984 was performed by US astronaut Bruce McCandless in 1984. The image showing his feat is expected to sell for up to £500.
This image shows Buzz Aldrin on the lunar surface beside the US flag. His face is just visible through his visor. To his left is the lunar module. The image is expected to sell for up to £1,200
This stunning image shows US astronaut Buzz Aldrin during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission which saw his colleague Neil Armstrong become the first man to walk on to the surface of the moon. In Armstrong’s photograph of Aldrin, which is perhaps the most famous snapshot of the historic mission, the lunar ‘Eagle’ module can be seen in his gold-plated visor. It is tipped to sell for up to £2,000
The first untethered space walk in 1984 was performed by US astronaut Bruce McCandless in 1984. The image showing his feat is expected to sell for up to £500
Furniss also collected images of the various animals that were sent into space by both the US and Russia in the run-up to man’s first trip beyond Earth. One image shows Miss Baker (left), the first animal to survive a spaceflight. The animal, a squirrel monkey, was sent into space by the Americans in May 1959. The photo could sell for up to £250. Another image (right), which is tipped to sell for up to £300, shows rhesus macaque Miss Sam, which was sent into space by the US in 1960
The most recent images in the collection show the seven astronauts who died in the 1986 Challenger disaster, in which the space shuttle of the same name broke apart just 73 seconds into its flight. The crew had been set to deploy a communications satellite and study Halley’s Comet while in orbit
This Apollo spacesuit ‘Familiarization and Operations Manual’, which dates from Feb 4, 1969 is expected to sell for up to £500
The above image taken from the first television broadcast of the moon – during the 1969 mission – shows Buzz Aldrin during his ‘kangaroo run’, with the lunar module in the background. It is expected to sell for up to £700
An official portrait of the crew of Apollo 7 mission, which was the first manned mission into space. Seen above (left to right) are Donn F. Eisele, Walter M. Schirra and Ronnie Walter Cunningham. They formed the Apollo 7, 11-22 Oct 1968
The most recent images in the collection show the seven astronauts who died in the 1986 Challenger disaster, in which the space shuttle of the same name broke apart just 73 seconds into its flight.
The crew had been set to deploy a communications satellite and study Halley’s Comet while in orbit.
The two images, one black and white and one in colour, which show the crew have a collective upper sale estimate of £1,500.
Furniss also collected images of the various animals that were sent into space by both the US and Russia in the run-up to man’s first trip beyond Earth.
One image shows Miss Baker, the first animal to survive a spaceflight. The animal, a squirrel monkey, was sent into space by the Americans in May 1959. The photo could sell for up to £250.
Another image, which is tipped to sell for up to £300, shows rhesus macaque Miss Sam, which was sent into space by the US in 1960.
This image of the lunar surface, which was taken from the Lunar Orbiter mission to the moon in 1967, is expected to sell for up to £700
Onboard portrait of Walter Cunningham from the Apollo 7 mission in Oct 1968. The image is expected to sell for between £200 and £300
An image showing astronauts Jim Irwin (left) and John Bull modelling old and new versions of the Apollo space suit in 1968. The new outfit included the safety changes recommended by a review board. The image is tipped to sell for up to £200
This image of Mars was one of 38 in Mr Furniss’s collection that were taken by various unmanned crafts between 1969 and 1976. The set is expected to sell for up to £1,500
The first US satellite launch (Vanguard TV3 & 1, Explorer 1, Pioneer 2 and 3; 5 views), 1957-1958
Neil Armstrong suits up for the world’s first manned lunar landing, Apollo 11, July 16-24, 1969. The image is tipped to sell for between £200 and £400
The crew conduct the crew compartment fit; the Saturn rocket rollout (2), Apollo 11, 1969. The image could sell for up to £400
X-Planes collection; Neil Armstrong after an X-15 flight (top right); Chuck Yeager’s Bell X-1 (bottom left), 1940-1960s
Auctioneer Ania Hanrahan said: ‘The sale unravels the story of human endeavours to discover what lies beyond our home planet, from early rocketry engineering by the forefathers of space exploration to complex interplanetary missions.
‘Although today space photography and video footage appear to be a part of our daily news feeds, it was only few decades ago that we had the chance to see what our planet looks like from space for the very first time.
‘In those days space photography was a source of awe, wonder and amazement and had the power to change the way we see Earth and our place in space. One who experienced that wonder was Tim Furniss.
‘Tim was Flight International magazine’s spaceflight correspondent from 1984 to 2006, a broadcaster, lecturer, theatrical presenter and the author of over 35 published books on space history.
‘Passionate about space exploration from a very young age, Tim amassed a great collection of space photography and ephemera which we are delighted to offer at auction this month.’
What was the Apollo program and who are the astronauts who have been lucky enough to go to the moon?
NASA photo taken on July 16, 1969 shows the huge, 363-foot tall Apollo 11 Spacecraft 107/Lunar Module S/Saturn 506) space vehicle launched from Pad A, Launch Complex 39. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), at 9:32 a.m. (EDT).
Apollo was the NASA programme that launched in 1961 and got the first man on the moon eight years later.
The first four flights tested the equipment for the Apollo Program and six of the other seven flights managed to land on the moon.
The first manned mission to the moon was Apollo 8 which circled around it on Christmas Eve in 1968 but did not land.
The crew of Apollo 9 spent ten days orbiting Earth and completed the first manned flight of the lunar module – the section of the Apollo rocket that would later land Neil Armstrong on the Moon.
The Apollo 11 mission was the first one to land on the moon on 20 July 1969.
The capsule landed on the Sea of Tranquillity, carrying mission commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin.
Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the lunar surface while Michael Collins remained in orbit around the moon.
When Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon, he said, ‘That’s one small step for (a) man; one giant leap for mankind.’
Apollo 12 landed later that year on 19 November on the Ocean of Storms, writes NASA .
Apollo 13 was to be the third mission to land on the moon, but just under 56 hours into flight, an oxygen tank explosion forced the crew to cancel the lunar landing and move into the Aquarius lunar module to return back to Earth.
Apollo 15 was the ninth manned lunar mission in the Apollo space program, and considered at the time the most successful manned space flight up to that moment because of its long duration and greater emphasis on scientific exploration than had been possible on previous missions.
The last Apollo moon landing happened in 1972 after a total of 12 astronauts had touched down on the lunar surface.
Astronaut Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin unpacking experiments from the Lunar Module on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Photographed by Neil Armstrong, 20 July 1969
Who has been to the moon?
1 + 2. Apollo 11 – July 21, 1969
Neil Armstrong made history by becoming the first person to set foot on the moon.
Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin followed Neil Armstrong on to the surface of the moon. His popular nickname gave itself to the animated characte Buzz Lightyear.
3 + 4. Apollo 12 – November 19 and 20, 1969
Pete Conrad and Alan Bean were the moon walkers on the Apollo 12 mission.
The Apollo 12 crew experienced two lightning strikes just after their Saturn V rocket launched.
All the men who have been to the moon
5 + 6. Apollo 14 – February 5, 1971
Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell who were part of the Apollo 14 mission. They launched on January 31, 1971, and landed in the Fra Mauro region of the moon, the original destination for Apollo 13.
7 + 8. Apollo 15 – July 31, 1971
David Scott and James Irwin landed on the moon and stayed for three days, until August 2nd.
9 + 10. Apollo 16 – April 21 1972
John Young and Charles Duke were the next men to walk on the moon. When the crew reached lunar orbit, the mission almost had to be aborted because of a problem with Command/Service Module’s main engine.
11 + 12. Apollo 17 – December 11, 1972
The final people to walk on the moon were Eugene (Gene) Cernan and Harrison (Jack) Schmitt.
Before he left the moon, Cernan scratched the initials of his daughter Tracy into the lunar regolith. Since the moon does not experience weather conditions like wind or rain to erode anything away, her initials should stay there for a very long time.
