Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
To effectively capture humanity's exploration of the Moon, NASA required a camera that was capable of capturing as much detail as possible. The large size of Hasselblad's medium format film coupled with the precise lenses available for this camera system fit NASA's bill exactly. But the Hasselblads used on the Moon weren't just consumer cameras picked off a shelf. These were heavily modified to be able to handle the Moon's extreme heat in the sun (250 F), extreme cold in the shade (-200 F), and lack of an atmosphere. Additionally, the camera was fitted with a large capacity film magazine and a glass plate with precise crosshatches placed directly in front of the film. This camera from Apollo 14 is one of the few cameras to ever be brought back from the lunar surface.
hasselblad.com/about/history/hasselblad-in-space
To effectively capture humanity's exploration of the Moon, NASA required a camera that was capable of capturing as much detail as possible. The large size of Hasselblad's medium format film coupled with the precise lenses available for this camera system fit NASA's bill exactly. But the Hasselblads used on the Moon weren't just consumer cameras picked off a shelf. These were heavily modified to be able to handle the Moon's extreme heat in the sun (250 F), extreme cold in the shade (-200 F), and lack of an atmosphere. Additionally, the camera was fitted with a large capacity film magazine and a glass plate with precise crosshatches placed directly in front of the film. This camera from Apollo 14 is one of the few cameras to ever be brought back from the lunar surface.
hasselblad.com/about/history/hasselblad-in-space
