Camera taken to space in '60s sold for $275,000

Source: AP-Excite

BOSTON (AP) — The camera that "would forever change our view of Earth" from space more than a half century ago has been sold at auction for $275,000, the auctioneer says.

The Hasselblad camera body and Zeiss lens, reportedly purchased by astronaut Wally Schirra at a Houston photo supply shop in 1962 and believed carried into orbit aboard the Mercury-Atlas 8 and 9 missions, was sold Thursday by Boston-based RR Auction to a private collector in the United Kingdom who wished remain anonymous.

Schirra brought the Hasselblad 500c camera to NASA for mission use preparation, and it was modified with the installation of a 100-exposure film container and an aiming device mounted on the side. The original metal facing was also repainted black to minimize reflections.

The camera was top of the line at the time, costing more than $400, and vastly improved the quality of space photography, said Bobby Livingston, RR's executive vice president.

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This September 2014 photo released by RR Auction of Boston, shows the Hasselblad camera body and Zeiss lens carried into orbit onboard NASA's Mercury-Atlas 8 mission in 1962 where it was used by astronaut Wally Schirra, and again on Mercury-Atlas 9 in 1963 where it was used by astronaut Gordon Cooper. The camera and lens sold for $275,000 on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014, according to the auction house. (AP Photo/RR Auction)


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