31 Vintage Photos From the Apollo Space Missions

Commander Walter M. Schirra, Jr., looking out the rendezvous window after nine days in space. October 1968.

The expended Saturn IVB, shot while the Apollo spacecraft circled the earth in a low orbit.

The view from the spacecraft.

December 1968.

Three major craters can be seen in the Sea of Tranquility: Taruntius F, Taruntius E, and the Cauchy scarp.

The Lunar module, or Spider, with the landing gear and surface probes deployed. March 1969.

View from an astronaut’s spacewalk.

In 1969, astronauts—like Russell L. Schweickart, pictured here—were equipped with 70mm Hasselblad cameras.

July 1969.

Neil A. Armstrong, commander of Apollo 11, took this photograph of Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. emerging from the Lunar Module.

July 1969.

Astronaut (and photographer) Neil A. Armstrong photographed Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., deploying the seismic experiments package and the Laser Ranging Retro-Reflector (LR3).

Shadow selfies, July 1969

NASA engineer Jack Kinzler designed the flag assembly, using a hemmed flag and a pole to make the flag appear to be unfurled even on the windless moon.

Bootprints, pilot Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., and the leg of the Lunar Module were captured by Neil A. Armstrong with a 70mm lunar surface camera.

November 1969.

Astronaut Alan L. Bean explored the moon, and conducted experiments, with commander Charles Conrad Jr., whose reflection is captured in Bean's helmet.

November 1969.

November 1969.

April 1972.

Footprints.

Lunar Rover, December 1972.

Rover tracks.

Mission commander Eugene A. Ceman with the Lunar Roving Vehicle during the final Apollo mission.

Moon vistas.

Pilot Harrison H. Schmitt was photographed collecting samples from a massive boulder known as Tracy's Rock.

Apollo 17's Lunar Module wasn't surrounded by stars in this photograph. Instead, astronauts captured the debris from the Saturn S-IVB separation, suspended in space.

Rendezvous in lunar orbit, May 1969.