Photo taken by Lunar Orbiter 2 of the famous 100-kilometer c - Lot 91

Photo taken by Lunar Orbiter 2 of the famous 100-kilometer crater known as Copernicus. This spectacular view has been dubbed "the image of the century." Black-and-white photograph, 19 x 23 cm, vintage print on Kodak paper (Kodak paper noted on the back) with no printed information on the reverse. The oblique image was taken around 11:05 p.m. GMT on November 23, from an altitude of 45.9 kilometers above the lunar surface and 240 kilometers south of the famous crater. It reveals a crater three kilometers deep, cliffs reaching 900 meters in height, and a series of central peaks scattered over 16 kilometers, rising 450 to 600 meters above the crater floor. The photos transmitted by Lunar Orbiter were crucial in determining the future landing sites for the Apollo and Surveyor missions. LUNAR ORBITER PROGRAM – Five Lunar Orbiter probes were launched between August 10, 1966, and August 1, 1967, with the goal of identifying potential landing sites for future Apollo missions. Orbiters I through III were designed to provide images of 20 potential landing sites and flew in low-inclination orbits.