This is how Zeiss managed to capture the first images from the Moon 50 years ago

NASA needed the best equipment to document the moon landing. The iconic images of the moon that we know were taken with cameras and lenses from the German brand Zeiss.

On July 20, 1969, a collective dream came true. A footprint symbolizes this achievement. On that day, man stepped on the Moon for the first time and the limits of what seemed impossible were redefined.

But the road was long. When the goal of sending a man to the moon and returning safely to earth was determined, many people helped make this dream of humanity a reality. Thousands of engineers and technicians from all disciplines and countries were involved. The German manufacturer Zeiss was also part of the challenge. The iconic images of this monumental achievement were taken with Zeiss lenses and cameras, specially designed for space.

In the first space missions, astronauts tried conventional cameras. Convinced of the importance of graphically documenting each expedition, NASA looked for the best cameras and lenses. He sought out Zeiss, a brand with More than 170 years of history behind it, to photograph space and to photograph in space.

For the German brand, photographing and filming in space was an exciting challenge that required the invention of new technologies to face the unknown. First, it was necessary for cameras and lenses to work perfectly with the Extreme temperature fluctuations. It also required the lens's optics to work perfectly in zero gravity, as well as mechanical changes to be able to use it in space. Most of the most outstanding achievements in the design of lenses for photographing or filming outer space are due to Erhard Glatzel and his team, Johannes Berger and Günther Lange.

In the 1960s, Glatzel was one of the leading scientists and managers of the lens design department at Zeiss in Oberkochen, Germany.

During the lunar landings, and in the previous missions, photography played a key role. They were carried out Over 100,000 Preview Photos which served to prepare the Apollo missions.

During the six lunar landings, between 1961 and 1972, more than 33,000 images. These images of the missions to the moon have become generational milestones, for their historical and scientific value, but also for the plasticity and exceptional quality of the Zeiss images.

The first photographs of space were taken in 1962, during the Mercury Atlas 8 mission. At that time, an image of the Earth taken from space was still a real first. A medium format camera with a lens Zeiss Planar 2.8 / 80 with only a few modifications from the series one it was put into orbit for the first time to study and document the Earth.

During the second mission of the Gemini spacecraft, in 1965, the first image of a spacecraft in orbit was taken. A camera Zeiss Ikon Contarex A special camera attached to a gas-powered propulsion gun allowed the astronaut to manipulate the chamber while floating in zero gravity. High-quality images could provide important information about the planet, land and water masses, and about their weather patterns and systems. The importance of images meant that astronauts were trained, specifically, to take photographs.

In 1966, during the Gemini 9 expedition, photographs of an approach maneuver revealed the technical problem and helped to solve it.

On December 21, 1968, the Apollo 8 spacecraft became the first manned expedition to leave Earth's orbit and travel to the Moon. The mission was to orbit the moon, photograph the lunar landscape and identify suitable places to land. Until then, there was only speculation about what the surface of the Moon would be like.

Something happened during the fourth lunar orbit on December 24 that was not in the flight plan. As the spacecraft emerged from the dark side of the Moon, the astronauts watched the Earth rise above the lunar horizon. They rushed to capture this stunning image and took the first color photograph of the blue planet. This image, Earthrise, of a small blue planet floating in the darkness of space, forever changed the world's perspective, forever making it the fragile and precious planet we call home.

On July 20, 1969, man stepped on the moon for the first time. More than 500 million people around the world saw this first step and were amazed by the images they brought to Earth from the lunar surface.

Zeiss designed the lens Wide angle Biogon 5.6 / 60 especifically for the lunar landing. The photographs had to capture the surface of the moon with excellent edge-to-edge contrast and maximum definition. The camera was equipped with a Reseau glass plate, which created cross marks on the images during exposure. These distinctive marks made it possible to calibrate distances and heights allowing size ratio analysis of objects on the moon.

During the Apollo 17 mission, to date the last manned mission to the Moon, astronauts captured spectacular panoramic photographs of the surreal lunar landscape. During this mission, the last of the 12 cameras that were employed was left on the dusty ground, with the lens pointed at the zenith. The reason? If an astronaut returns to the landing site of this mission, an analysis could be performed on the lens to measure the impact of cosmic solar radiation.

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