Since we began sending humans into space, cameras have accompanied them. From the iconic Earthrise to the first portrait made in space to the first U.S. spacewalk, cameras held by astronauts have recorded the immense human achievement of space exploration. As we wait for the launch of Artemis II, marking the first human moon mission in over 50 years and the first human lunar flyby, we offer a look at NASA photographs included in our April 30th sale that celebrate mankind’s* achievements in space more than half a century ago.

What photographs will we see from Artemis II? The historic launch marks the first time astronauts will travel beyond low Earth orbit since 1972, including the first woman to the moon. This mission aims to establish a long-term presence on the Moon and pave the way for future explorations beyond it. It will also test human travel to deep space and a safe return.

*or should we say humankind

The First American in Space…

Bill Taub, NASA–Mercury-Redstone 3. The First American in Space — Alan Shepard Moments before Launch Aboard Freedom 7, May 5, 1961.

Captured by NASA’s senior photographer Bill Taub, this intimate portrait reveals not the spectacle of spaceflight, but its human threshold: concentration, endurance, and quiet determination at the edge of the unknown. Moments later, before a crowd of over 500,000 spectators, Shepard would become the first American to journey into space, inaugurating a new era of exploration and geopolitical ambition.

Ed White Floating over Hawaii during the First U.S. Spacewalk…

James McDivitt, NASA–Gemini IV. The First Photograph of a Human in Space: Ed White Floating over Hawaii during the First U.S. Spacewalk, June 3-7, 1965.

Before this photograph, human presence in space had only been glimpsed through moving images—fleeting, unstable. Here, for the first time, it is fixed and composed. At once a technical feat and a masterpiece of photographic composition, this image stands as one of the defining icons of the Space Age—a precursor to the Moon landings, and one of the earliest visual affirmations that humanity had begun its journey beyond Earth.

The First U.S. Spacewalk…

James McDivitt, NASA–Gemini IV. Ed White Taking the First Photographs in Outer Space during the First U.S. Spacewalk, June 3-7, 1965.

Suspended above the Earth’s luminous blue horizon, astronaut Ed White is captured in the act of photographing his surroundings during the first American spacewalk. Photographed by James McDivitt from inside the spacecraft using a NASA-modified Hasselblad 500C with 70mm Ektachrome film, this image reveals a profound transformation: the astronaut becomes both explorer and image-maker. White is no longer merely observing space—he is actively documenting it while immersed in its vacuum.

Launch of the First Humans Toward Another World…

Ralph Morse, NASA–Apollo 8. The Historic Launch of the First Humans Toward Another World, December 21, 1968.

More than a launch, this image captures a threshold: the beginning of deep-space human exploration, where the Moon is no longer an object of observation, but a destination.

Earthrise…

William Anders, NASA–Apollo 8. First Earthrise: The Iconic First Color Photograph of Earthrise Taken by Humans, December 21–27, 1968.

On December 24, 1968, as Apollo 8 orbited the Moon, Earth rose unexpectedly above the barren lunar horizon. For the first time, human eyes—and a human camera—witnessed our planet from another world. Anders would capture what would become one of the most influential photographs ever made.

First Photograph of the Whole Moon

William Anders, NASA–Apollo 8. The First Photograph of the Whole Moon Taken from a Perspective Other Than Earth, December 21–27, 1968.

The Moon, as no human had ever seen it before. For the first time in history, a complete view of the lunar globe was captured by human hands from a vantage point other than Earth—revealing a hemisphere and perspective inaccessible from our planet. Only upon rising above the Moon after the first trans-Earth injection maneuver did the Apollo 8 astronauts witness this full, unified vision.