Space Mission
Mercury Atlas 9, May 15-16, 1963, orbit 17
Photographer
Taken by a slow scan TV camera on board the Faith 7 spacecraft
Photo Description
Vintage gelatin silver print on fiber-based paper, 20.3 x 25.4cm (8 x 10in)
Essay
A ghostly image of the astronaut. Gordon Cooper’s face is visible in the background while his oxygen hose stands out clearly in this picture made from the broadcast of a live TV camera received at Cape Canaveral, Florida, one of three points set up to receive the slow-scan TV picture, with Grand Canary Islands and the Pacific Command Ship south of Japan. It was the first time an American astronaut had sent back television images from space.
From the mission transcript at the beginning of the 17th orbit:
025:14:39 Capcom (Mission Control): TV on for a couple of minutes please?
025:14:44 Cooper: Roger, TV coming on.