50th anniversary of the moon landing | ZEISS (2024)

The limits of what is possible were redefined, with a footprint becoming the symbol of this outstanding achievement. Once the ambitious goal had been set to send a man to the moon and ensure his safe return to earth, many people helped to make this dream come true. Thousands ofengineers and technicians from all imaginable disciplines and countries got involved.

ZEISS became part of this challenge: camera lenses specially designed for space, which captured the iconic images of this monumental achievement.

During the moon landings and the missions leading up to them, photography played a key role: more than 100,000 shots were used to prepare the Apollo missions. Around 30,000 images were captured during the Apollo missions between 1962 and 1972. Today these images from the moon missions are still resonating throughout generations, in part due to their exceptional quality.

After one of the first missions, when an astronaut brought along a store-bought camera, the importance of photography in space was realized. This prompted a collaboration with ZEISS to develop camera lenses specifically designed for space and its extreme conditions.

To achieve this ambition, new technologies were needed addressing the unknown:

• How would cameras and lenses function in extreme temperature fluctuations?
• Would zero gravity affect the lenses’ optical performance?
• What mechanical adjustments were needed to make them suitable for use in space?

• The journey to the moon and ZEISS

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  1962

  1962

  Mercury Atlas 8

  Where it all began - The first photographs from space

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  1965

  1965

  Gemini 4

  The first American spacewalk

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  1966

  1966

  Gemini 9

  Troubleshooting with photographs

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  1966

  1966

  Gemini 10

  A camera in trouble

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  1968

  1968

  Apollo 8

  When the earth rose above the moon

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  1969

  1969

  Apollo 11

  The moon landing and the first images from the lunar surface

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  1972

  1972

  Apollo 16

  The journey continues with an experimental lens for UV photography

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  1972

  1972

  Apollo 17

  The last camera on the moon

On 20 July 1969, a collective dream became reality, with a footprint symbolizing this achievement: on that day, man set foot on the moon for the very first time.

The minds behind the lenses for space photography

ZEISS conducted thorough research and created a total of eight lens models that were used during the Apollo program. The challenges of using camera lenses in space were addressed by:

• The cavities were opened up on all the lenses.
• The apertures and focus rings were altered to make them easier for astronauts to use while wearing their thick gloves of their space suits.
• The lenses were not coated edge to edge to prevent outgassing.
• The lubricants in the moving parts were replaced by dry lubricants wherever possible to avoid contamination.
• A black coating helped prevent reflections when taking photographs of objects outside the space shuttle.

Who developed these impressive ZEISS camera lenses to use in space? Many of the preeminent achievements are thanks in large part to Dr. Erhard Glatzel, and his team, Johannes Berger and Günther Lange. In the 1960s, he was one of the leading scientists and managers in the lens design department at ZEISS in Oberkochen, Germany. The lenses he designed were world-famous such as the ZEISS Hologon and the ZEISS Planar 0.7/50, which was developed in 1966 for use in very poor light. The lens was so powerful that, in 1973, Stanley Kubrick used it on the set of "Barry Lyndon" to film scenes lit entirely by candlelight. This marked the first time in cinematic history that an entire movie was shot without artificial light.

In honor of the accomplishment in designing special space lenses for the moon missions, Dr. Erhard Glatzel received the Apollo Achievement Award. Under his leadership, ZEISS developed more than 100 lens designs.

A total of 12 cameras were used on the moon and left behind by the crews of the landing modules to save weight upon departure.