The first pictures from space

It turns out the first pictures taken from space were not initially planned.

John Glenn was due to fly the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission but it was postponed 10 times. Just before the actual launch he bought a $40 Ansco Autoset camera. It was one of the first cameras to have auto-exposure which was ideal for an astronaut as they would not have to fiddle with the controls.

He worked with the engineers to modify the camera so he could use it in space. They flipped it upside down so they could add a trigger and handle to press the button and advance the film. They also spliced two roles of film together so that he was able to take 48 pictures.

The article below is well worth a read and includes some of the pictures he took as well as pictures of the modified camera.

Links

How John Glenn’s $40 Camera Forced NASA to Rethink Space Missions