Project Apollo Archive captures the golden age of space exploration

By Anthony Wood

October 06, 2015

Buzz Aldrin pictured on the surface of the Moon

NASA

View 26 Images

1/26

Buzz Aldrin pictured on the surface of the Moon

NASA

2/26

Lunar Module pilot Walter Cunningham, imaged during the Apollo 7 mission

NASA

3/26

Image of the plaque on the landing strut of the Apollo 11 lunar lander

4/26

The Apollo 11 Eagle ascent stage returning to the command module Columbia after a successful landing

NASA

5/26

The Earth pictured above the lunar landscape during the Apollo 11 mission

NASA

6/26

Image of planet Earth taken from the ill fated Apollo 13 spacecraft

NASA

7/26

Commander, Eugene A. Cernan (left) and Lunar Module pilot, Harrison H. Schmitt, the last men to walk on the Moon, imaged during the Apollo 17 mission

NASA

8/26

Lunar Module pilot Harrison Schmitt taking care of life's little details during the Apollo 17 mission

NASA

9/26

Instrumentation aboard Apollo 17 module

10/26

Apollo 17 mission

NASA

11/26

First footprints - Apollo 11, 1969

NASA

12/26

Eugene Cernan during the Apollo 17 mission

NASA

13/26

Apollo 17 astronauts spent 3 days on the Lunar surface

NASA

14/26

The Apollo 17 mission in 1972 was the last time man has set foot on the Moon

NASA

15/26

Apollo 17 - a wild ride!

NASA

16/26

Lander detail - Apollo 14

NASA

17/26

Apollo 17 mission

NASA

18/26

Among the last human footprints on the moon - Apollo 17

NASA

19/26

Lunar rover during the Apollo 15 mission

20/26

On the surface of the Moon - Apollo 12

NASA

21/26

Apollo 9 Lunar module test flight

22/26

Apollo 9 - Earth orbit

NASA

23/26

Earthrise from Apollo 10

NASA

24/26

Looking back home - Apollo 10

NASA

25/26

View from aboard Apollo 17

NASA

26/26

Apollo 15 Mission in lunar orbit

NASA

View gallery - 26 images

Thousands of images snapped by Apollo era astronauts during their missions have been made available via the Flickr gallery of the Project Apollo Archive (PAA). The images, supplied by NASA, allow viewers to take a journey through the golden age of manned space exploration.

Geopoliticalmotivations aside, the achievements and the spirit of explorationthat accompanied the Apollo era of exploration have resonatedas an inspiration for generations to follow.

Complied by Kipp Teague, the high-resolution shots are presented in their raw, unprocessed format, as captured by the Hasselblad cameras carried aboard the Apollo spacecraft. Some processed film images have also been used.

The images document some of the most significant moments in space exploration, including orbital maneuvers during the first manned mission, Apollo 7, and the now legendary scenes of the late great Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin making history on the surface of the Moon. Others document the some of the rarely considered aspects of space travel.