[Leica] Hasselblad/Leica on the moon

[mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)]

I happened almost by chance.
Medium format and Hasselblad.

As the story goes on the way into work one day Walter M. Schirra stopped off
at a camera shop in Houston, Texas and picked out a Hasselblad camera;
On the way to a rocket ship trip to outer space.
And the camera was not modified.

But it seems it was when you look it up on the internet. So he would have
had to have picked it up a few days at least before.
But I still like the bit about the cameras ship in Houston Texas.
You cant make stuff like that up!!!!


http://www.hasselblad.com/about-hasselblad/hasselblad-in-space/space-cameras
.aspx

" Hasselblad 500c
The Hasselblad 500C, with a planar 80mm lens (modified), was the first
Hasselblad camera to be used by NASA in space. It was purchased by the
astronaut Walter M. Schirra from a camera shop in Houston, Texas.
Modification, carried out by NASA, involved removing the lining, mirror,
focusing screen and hood, among other things, to make the camera lighter.
"


Mark William Rabiner



> From: Frank Filippone <red735i at earthlink.net>
> Reply-To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
> Date: Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:11:42 -0700
> To: 'Leica Users Group' <lug at leica-users.org>
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Hasselblad/Leica on the moon
> 
> Removeable/multiple  film backs.    ditto Contarex.
> 
> The reason it was Hasselblad vs Contarex was the film size.
> 
> I think also, it was an issue of what Zeiss, Hasselblad and Leica wished to
> do as a business strategy....   I never heard of Leica as chasing Space
> business.
> 
> Frank Filippone
> red735i at earthlink.net
> 
> 
> Is there any information available on why NASA opted for Hasselblad rather
> then Leica on their moon trips?
> 
> -- 
> Jan Doumen
> 
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> 
> 
> 
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