Out-of-This-World Camera Bag

Are you one of those photographers who keeps buying camera bags to excess, in a futile search for just the right one? I once knew a guy who had thirty camera bags—not because he collected them, just because he kept buying them hoping each time the new one would be better than all his others.

Well, there may not be any such thing as the perfect camera bag, but this has got to be a prime candidate for the coolest one. It goes on sale tomorrow at auction at Bonham's in New York City (Sale 17402, Lot 285), and it's expected to sell for forty to fifty thousand dollars.

And it's covered with dust. Not only that, but you want it to be.

It was used to store 16mm and 70mm film magazines for astronauts Jim Irwin and Dave Scott in the Apollo 15 Lunar Module. The crew performed two 7-hour EVAs (extra-vehicular activities) and came back to the LM covered with lunar dust, which got all over the camera bag. That's the dust.

Just the thing for the photographer who already has every kind of camera bag under the sun—one more, dingy with dirt from the moon. None of your friends have one!

Comes complete with deaccession papers from the National Air and Space Museum.

Mike
(Thanks to Rich Chen)

Send this post to a friend

Featured Comment by Hugh Crawford: "The last thing you would want to do with this is get anywhere near a camera. Moon dust is extrodinarily abrasive and corrosive. See:

What a Little Moon Dust Can Do

NASA's Dirty Secret: Moon Dust

NASA's Big Chore: Dusting on the Moon

Featured Comment by Rod S.: "Dave Scott and Jim Irwin performed three, not two, EVAs on the lunar surface. I watched all three through three consecutive nights here in Australia, where we had complete coverage because, as I recall, we took the feed directly from the radiotelescope at Parkes, which happened to have the moon in sight for each (they were 24 hours apart). The experience is one I treasure - along with meeting and talking with Jim Irwin in 1989, two years before he died.

"Andy Chaikin's book A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts reports that the durations of the three moonwalks were, 1st: 6 hrs., 32 min.; 2nd: 7 hrs., 12 min.; 3rd: 5 hrs., 40 min.

"Here in Australia, it's the morning of the 16th of July, the 40 year anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11."

UPDATE from Bob Peterson, July 16th: "According to the auction Web page Lot 285 'Sold for $36,600 inclusive of Buyer's Premium' "

Comments

[Chad Thompson]

I'm sure there will be a Lomography copy of it soon enough. And they'll probably try to sell it for near the auction price too.

[Barb]

Why would they want to get rid of it? Its rare and so very cool. I do not understand what they are thinking! (oh,yeah, its the money....).

[Kevin]

I'm surprised they'd let the Moon dust get away. UNLESS its really fake Moon dust from a sound stage in Texas.....

I notice it's a bright white to reflect the sun. Fred Picker would approve.

[Rafael]

I call dibbs!!!

[Mike Johnston]

You'll have to call dibbs with your auction paddle!

Mike

[Eric Schneider]

While that is indeed a cool camera bag, I think I'd still prefer one where all the stuff I usually take fits *perfectly*. Not too big, not too small, and just the right shape.

Yeah, I can dream...

...hmm, I wonder if there's a business in making custom camera bags...

[cb]

Guess its perfect for a white M8. But then it may not perform any more EVAs (extra-vitrine activities).

[michael walker]

pretty cool bag, I'm just a little worried about dust getting onto the sensor so I probably won't buy it.

about finding the right camera bag for oneself...well
procreate, marry or hire an assistant. One doesn't necessary have to carry the gear_on_the body but moving next to the body.

Until any of that occurs I'll have to stick to the "wrap it in clothes and put everything next to stinking socks, bottles of water and chips in the big 70liter backpack" - method.

michael walker

[charlie d]

Does it have landing gear?

[Andreas]

Damn, when I clicked on the post I hoped for a real proposition that I could order immediately, and then this.

[Andy Frazer]

Does it have a pocket for your memory cards?

[Sacramento Photography]

Glad I shoot digital. =) But I am sure this will make a collector extremely happy.

[ctein]

Ooooooooh.... I WANT !!!

-----------

Barb, I'm betting the Smithsonian has a couple more just like this; the camera gear was pretty standardized over the moon landings, of which there were 6.

It is indeed about the money; if my numbers are right (they may not be) the Smithsonian budget allocation hasn't kept pace with even "cost of living," let alone real inflation, since the early 1990s.

pax / Ctein

[Chris S]

Moon dust. Cool.
You'll let us know when you see one with Pixie Dust right?

[Will]

Mike, do you know of any better collection of Apollo photos than NASA's Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts? I don't imagine there is one, but I suppose if there is, you'll be able to direct us to it. I was just in the American Museum of Natural History, and they had a number of pretty terrific prints on display from the Apollo missions. Worth seeing for anyone near New York, but also got me thinking that I wanted a book.

It also led me to this page which I found pretty fascinating, and which accounted for the crosshairs visible on so many of the prints I saw at the museum.

[Lynn_B]

"Honey, have you seen that white camera bag I bought at auction - did it arrive in the mail?"
"You mean the one that was covered in all that dust? It's on the line with the other washing"

[Eric Mac]

Looks like the old Domke bag I tossed out after the bleaching accident.

[Cameron]

Like NASA really went to the moon. It'd be worth it otherwise.

[Jim Metzger]

If you want one here on earth that is a similar shape, head on over to Andy Biggs @ guragear.com. It only took five years to develop, probably about the same amount of time as the NASA one.It's as close to custom as you can get.

Add your own dust.

Just a satisfied user.

Jim

[Lubo]

If I manage to win this auction... I will finally take good photos.

Cool, nonetheless.

[Matt Brubeck]

There's a fun little movie called "The Dish" that dramatizes the story of the Parkes radio telescope engineers in charge of receiving the Apollo 11 transmissions: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0205873/

[Barb]

I have a rare image from the time period. I knew a boy who went military our of college and worked as a photog at the Cape. He sent me a half dozen or so photos of astronauts, etc that he took for NASA. I even have a photo on my wall of a rather 'unusual' craft in space that may have been taken from an American craft in orbit. But then, it just might be an example of mid-century 'fauxtography'. Anyway, its cool enough to hang in my home. I really want that bag to display with my fauxto.

[Ken Tanaka]

"The Dish" is a wonderful "little" big story of a film, Matt. Probably one of thousands of such stories. It's in our library and I watch it whenever I just need a smile and an uplift.

I also very much enjoy the HBO series "From the Earth to the Moon". And just today I received a copy of the new Criterion Collection edition of Al Reinert's documentary "For All Mankind". I've not yet watched it but feel confident recommending it to space exploration enthusiasts like me.

I remember the days of Apollo missions very well, as I was a young teen for most of them. The year of Apollo 11 was a terrific care-free year for me. As if on cue, to put icing on my summer, Neil and Buzz jumped out onto the lunar surface on my 15th birthday. I was absolutely riveted by the event...like a few billion other people. But, ahh, it wasn't their birthday!

Oh, by the way. There's a fellow that commented above...err, I think his name is Ctein ;-) ...who has some gorgeous imagery of the 20th century space program.

[mikegj]

Worth seeing is "In The Shadow Of The Moon."

Not photography as such, moving history of the moon missions, told by those who went on them. Beautiful archival images.

Teaser here: http://www.intheshadowofthemoon.com/

Rent it from Netflix, or Click through TOP's Amazon link to buy.

Recommended!

[Rod Brown]

"do you know of any better collection of Apollo photos than NASA's Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts?"

I have not viewed the book mentioned above, but I have enjoyed Michael Light's "Full Moon."

[Marcus]

When I first owned a DSLR, I used to carry it around in my rucksack.