Neither H.G. Wells, who published The First Men in the Moon in 1901, nor Georges Méliès, who a year later directed the delightful film A Trip to the Moon, could have imagined that just a few years later their vivid imaginations would be confronted with a reality that was equally fascinating yet filled with extraordinary documentary precision. Photography, on the other hand, had only been around for a few years, and photographers were still struggling with complex equipment and laborious processes. Emerging from two world wars, the last of which had divided the world into two great spheres of influence, the Soviet Union and the United States were indeed locked in a Cold War in which the two sides showed, to borrow the words of the ancient Romans, the face of arms, but they also did so by sublimating this rivalry on a scientific level in what came to be known as ‘the conquest of space’. The finest minds, the most creative engineers, and the most sophisticated research in the fields of mechanics, physics, chemistry and industry produced highly sophisticated instruments capable of revealing to an international public, captivated by such beauty, what had once only been imaginable. In this context, photography was the preferred and unique medium for exploring worlds floating in space.
This fascinating series of photographs, from the archives of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), chronicles the events surrounding the astronauts’ preparation, departure and return to Earth; the rocket launches of famous missions such as Apollo, watched by an enthusiastic public; and the history of the Space Shuttle.
Particularly striking are the photographs taken by the astronauts themselves, both in space and from the surface of the Moon, showing us, the breathtaking spectacle of our Earth rising on that horizon from which, for everyone, only the Sun and, indeed, the Moon had previously appeared. Some will appreciate the technical quality of the photography (Kodak, for instance, developed a special emulsion to adapt it to the extreme conditions of space photography), but many more will appreciate the aesthetic and historical value of these images, which have changed the way we look at the sky.
by Roberto Mutti
Discover the catalogue: https://www.finarte.it/asta/fotografia-alla-scoperta-dello-spazio-milano-2026-05-19?lang=en
