# Lunar Panoramic Photography - Apollo 12

NASA's Apollo Lunar Surface Journal (ALSJ) records the details of each mission's period on the lunar surface as a timeline of the activities undertaken, the dialogue between the crew and Mission Control, and the relevant documentary records. Each photograph taken on the mission is catalogued there and each photographic sequence (i.e. 'panorama') is also recorded. The panoramas would be in the form of a number of overlapping images that would be airbrushed together as a panoramic mosaic once the film had been processed back on Earth. By recording the site in this way, all other aspects of the mission to the surface could be placed in context. This page tabulates the Apollo 12 panoramas and, where appropriate, provides updated representations blended using more recent, digital, technologies than the originals.
Although the taking of panoramic photos on the surface featured highly in the plans of all the landings, the process by which the astronauts were trained to take them is not well recorded (Phinney is probably the best source). Although some members of the astronauts corps were acknowledged as being "camera buffs", the majority had little or no experience of the principles of photography, and all required training in the use of the chosen camera, the Hasselblad 500 EL, long considered as one of the best cameras available. As good as the cameras were, the astronauts had to overcome dealing without a viewfinder, and manually changing the aperture and exposure settings to make allowance for the low Sun angles, all while wearing a spacesuit. Each frame for a panoramic mosaic would require individual changes, for example.

## Context

Having proven the viability of landing on the Moon with Apollo 11, NASA extended the objectives of Apollo 12 in two key areas; executing a precision landing close to a known target, and extended surface EVA activities. The first was achieved when the Lunar Module, Intrepid, touched down within sight of Surveyor 3 which had landed on the Moon over 2 years previously. Whereas the Apollo 11 crew only had up to 150 minutes during their single EVA, the Apollo 12 crew more than tripled that amount over two Moonwalks, which included a visit to the Surveyor craft.
In terms of photography, almost four-times as many photos were taken compared to its predecessor, with a similar proportion being used for panoramas. Unlike Apollo 11 though, a higher proportion of these were taken whilst on the surface rather than inside the LM before or after the EVAs.
The post-mission Preliminary Science Report indicates that the crew took 23 panoramas whereas the ALSJ records 29 examples. In some cases, the complete, 360° panoramas were impacted by the low Sun angle and greater detail can be gained by omitting the down-Sun exposures from the panoramic sequences. The report also indicated that the original panoramas were analysed "with high precision, from measurements of glass-plate reproductions of the photographs", whereas modern panorama technologies have rendered such approaches as obsolete.
To assist in gaining bearings, the Lunar Module (LM) Intrepid, landed with its door and ladder leg (AKA "+Z strut") pointing about 25° north of due west. The Sun's elevation was between 7.5° and 9.5° for EVA 1, and 15.8° and 17.8° for EVA 2.

## Panoramas taken from inside the Lunar Module

Following the successful landing of Apollo 11, the emphasis on collecting contingency photos and samples was greatly reduced for Apollo 12. The flight plan simply states "Describe & Photograph Lunar Surface" as the first action after the immediate post-landing activities (Page 133 Apollo 12 Flight Plan). Subsequently, there are 4 non-EVA panoramas taken from the LM on Apollo 12.
Caption Table 12.1 Non-EVA panoramas :
| Mission | Time (MET) | EVA # | Location | Astronaut | Magazine | Type | Start Frame | End Frame | Alternate Panorama | Source | Reference Panorama | Notes |
| XII | 111:58:43 | Pre-EVA | CDR Window | Conrad | 48 | Mono | 7023 | 7027 | | ALSJ | | Alternate panorama included to illustrate how stitched panoramas may vary according to their original content. The Reference panorama from the ALSJ (immediately to the left of this text box) omits the 7027 image but results in poor blending between the component images in the centre. The Alternate (furthest to the left) includes 7027, which resolves the poor blend, but now includes the Landing Point Designator that was etched on the surface of the window. |
| XII | 111:58:43 | Pre-EVA | LMP Window | Bean | 48 | Mono | 7028 | 7033 | N/A | ALSJ | | |
| XII | 120:10:34 | Post-EVA-1 | CDR/LMP Windows | Conrad/Bean | 46 | Colour | 6853 | 6867 | N/A | ALSJ | | This Reference Panorama has been manually arranged. Due to the source photos being taken from different locations (namely, the CDR and LMP windows) creating a full panorama requires a fair degree of image manipulation to render, hence the unblended representation of the result. The two following sub-panoramas show the individual views through the windows. |
| XII | 120:10:34 | Post-EVA-1 | CDR Window | Conrad | 46 | Colour | 6853 | 6859 | | ALSJ | N/A | Sub-panorama - Blended representation of image above. |
| XII | 120:10:34 | Post-EVA-1 | LMP Window | Bean | 46 | Colour | 6860 | 6867 | | ALSJ | N/A | Sub-panorama - Due to overlapping coverage and movement by the photographer, this image is made up of AS12-46-6863, 6865, 6866, and 6867 only. |
| XI | 135:45:48 | Post-EVA-2 | CDR/LMP Windows | Conrad | 48 | Monochrome | 7153 | 7171 | N/A | ALSJ | | This Reference Panorama has been manually arranged. Due to the source photos being taken from different locations (the CDR and LMP windows) creating a full panorama requires a fair degree of image manipulation to render, hence the unblended representation of the result. The two following sub-panoramas show the view through each of the windows. |
| XI | 135:45:48 | Post-EVA-2 | CDR Window | Conrad | 48 | Monochrome | 7153 | 7158 | | ALSJ | N/A | Sub-panorama - Blended representation of image above. |
| XI | 135:45:48 | Post-EVA-2 | LMP Window | Bean | 48 | Monochrome | 7159 | 7171 | | ALSJ | N/A | Sub-panorama using a subset of 7159-7171 |

## EVA Panoramas

Almost every historical reference on Apollo 12 notes the congeniality of the crew towards each other. This comes through in the dialogue between Pete Conrad and Al Bean during their EVAs, which was peppered with chuckles and giggles throughout, and also within the photos, with both taking "Tourist Shots" of the other at various points.
Despite Bean's issues with the TV camera, the standard of photography taken on the stills cameras is particularly striking - especially in the monochrome portraits (Not included here).
Table 12.2 EVA panoramas :
| Mission | Time (MET) | EVA # | Location | Astronaut | Magazine | Type | Start Frame | End Frame | Alternate Panorama | Source | Notes |
| XII | 116:22:29 | EVA 1 | Pete's 12 O'clock LM Pan | Conrad | 46 | Colour | 6730 | 6745 | N/A | ALSJ | |
| XII | 116:24:47 | EVA 1 | Pete's 4 O'clock LM Pan | Conrad | 46 | Colour | 6746 | 6763 | N/A | ALSJ | |
| XII | 116:27:03 | EVA 1 | Pete's 8 O'clock LM Pan | Conrad | 46 | Colour | 6764 | 6782 | N/A | ALSJ | |
| XII | 116:27:03 | EVA 1 | Pete's 8 O'clock LM Pan | Conrad | 46 | Colour | 6776 | 6781 | N/A | LPI | Sub-panorama of "Pete's 8 O'clock LM Pan" above |
| XII | 116:27:03 | EVA 1 | Al photographing the plus-Y footpad | Conrad | 46 | Colour | 6777 | 6780 | N/A | ALSJ | Sub-panorama of "Pete's 8 O'clock LM Pan" above - note, slightly wider than the LPI variant. |
| XII | 116:57:52 | EVA 1 | Pete's ALSEP Site Pan | Conrad | 46 | Colour | 6796 | 6811 | N/A | ALSJ | Alternate showing Al Bean's attached shadow. |
| XII | 118:18:09 | EVA 1 | Pete's First Pan at Middle Cresent Crater | Conrad | 46 | Colour | 6836 | 6844 | N/A | ALSJ | Later variant from HR sources. |
| XII | 118:18:41 | EVA 1 | Pete's Second Pan at Middle Cresent Crater | Conrad | 46 | Colour | 6845 | 6852 | N/A | ALSJ | |
| XII | 118:28:21 | EVA 1 | Al's 12 O'Clock LM Pan | Bean | 47 | Colour | 6941 | 6960 | N/A | ALSJ | Right to Left sequence. Early variant - Lo Res images |
| XII | 118:30:43 | EVA 1 | Al's 6 O'Clock LM Pan | Bean | 47 | Colour | 6961 | 6981 | N/A | ALSJ | Right to Left sequence. Early variant - Lo Res images |
| XII | 118:33:10 | EVA 1 | Al's 4 O'Clock LM Pan | Bean | 47 | Colour | 6982 | 7006 | N/A | ALSJ | Right to left sequence. Hi-Res version |
| XII | 118:33:10 | EVA 1 | Mini-pan - Pete at MESA | Bean | 47 | Colour | 6987 | 6990 | | ALSJ | Sub-panorama of 'Al's 4 O'Clock LM Pan' above. Right to left sequence. Colour alternative also provided. |
| XII | 118:33:10 | EVA 1 | Mini-pan - Pete at MESA | Bean | 47 | Colour | 6984 | 6992 | | ALSJ | Sub-panorama of 'Al's 4 O'Clock LM Pan' above. Right to left sequence. |
| XII | 118:33:10 | EVA 1 | Al's 4 O'Clock LM Pan | Bean | 47 | Colour | 6982 | 7006 | N/A | LPI | |
| XII | 132:12:17 | EVA 2 | Portrait of Head Crater | Conrad | 49 | Mono | 7174 | 7186 | N/A | ALSJ | This ALSJ-sourced panorama has been included as a counter-example - it isn't a panorama. Following the sequence from AS12-49-7174 to 7186 shows that the small rock formations in the centre of the left and right halves of the image are the same formation shot from different angles. |
| XII | 132:31:20 | EVA 2 | Al's Triple Craters Pan | Bean | 48 | Mono | 7056 | 7058 | | ALSJ | |
| XII | 132:31:52 | EVA 2 | Pete's Head Crater Pan | Conrad | 49 | Mono | 7201 | 7216 | N/A | ALSJ | |
| XII | 132:38:22 | EVA 2 | Pete's Left-to-Right Bench Crater Partial Pan | Conrad | 49 | Mono | 7223 | 7228 | N/A | ALSJ | Alternate variant - |
| XII | 132:38:22 | EVA 2 | Pete's Right-to-Left Bench Crater Partial Pan | Conrad | 49 | Mono | 7229 | 7233 | N/A | ALSJ | |
| XII | 132:53:22 | EVA 2 | Pete's Sharp Traverse Pan | Conrad | 49 | Mono | 7244 | 7262 | N/A | ALSJ | |
| XII | 132:56:44 | EVA 2 | Pete's First Sharp Crater Partial Pan | Conrad | 49 | Mono | 7263 | 7269 | | ALSJ | |
| XII | 132:57:33 | EVA 2 | Sharp Crater Pan 2 | Conrad | 49 | Mono | 7270 | 7275 | | ALSJ | |
| XII | 133:36:44 | EVA 2 | Al's Halo Crater Pan | Bean | 49 | Mono | 7289 | 7311 | N/A | ALSJ | |
| XII | 133:45:26 | EVA 2 | Al's Partial Pan of Surveyor Crater | Bean | 49 | Mono | 7323 | 7324 | N/A | ALSJ | |
| XII | 133:59:16 | EVA 2 | Al's 'Little Lines' Mini Pan | Bean | 48 | Mono | 7094 | 7096 | N/A | ALSJ | Alternate variant - |
| XII | 134:06:25 | EVA 2 | Surveyor Scoop Arm | Bean | 48 | Mono | 7101 | 7105 | N/A | ALSJ | |
| XII | 134:07:32 | EVA 2 | Surveyor Body and Arm (Not ALSJ) | Bean | 48 | Mono | 7110 | 7116 | N/A | N/A | This image is not referenced in the ALSJ. It has been created from a series of "stereo pairs" and other overlapping images, and this, along with Al Bean moving his position, has resulted in some image anomalies (uncorrected). Note that the sequence runs (left to right) 7116->7115->7114->7111->7110. |
| XII | 134:40:09 | EVA 2 | Al's First Block Crater Partial Pan | Bean | 48 | Mono | 7141 | 7143 | N/A | ALSJ | |
| XII | 134:40:09 | EVA 2 | Al's Second Block Crater Partial Pan | Bean | 48 | Mono | 7144 | 7147 | N/A | ALSJ | Hi Res variant |

## Post mission analysis

The primary purpose of taking the panoramic images was to provide the context, or placement, of the activities undertaken during the EVAs. The initial analysis was presented in the Apollo 12 Preliminary Science Report. The images continue to be revisited periodically with new, cleaner, representations of the panoramas after being processed by increasingly sophisticated software packages. Examples of these include LPI's Apollo Surface Panorama page, NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) 'Anniversary' Panoramas, and Andy Saunders' Apollo Remastered.