AS 17-149-22857 - The "Challenger", in Space (1)

Caption NASA originale:"Ron Evans took this stunning picture of Challenger during a post-rendezvous mutual inspection. Harald Kucharek raised the possibility that the bright arc visible in the LM window might be Gene Cernan's bubble helmet. Subsequent discussion between Kucharek, Markus Mehring, Brian McInall, Mick Hyde, Marv Hein, Ron Wells and Eric Jones in late 2000 established the following: (1) the orientation of the LM at this time is such that reflections of the CSM off the flat surface of Gene's window would not be visible to Evans; (2) the orientation of the shadows on the front surface of the LM clearly indicate that, from our perspective, the Sun is overhead and that the bright, rectangular light-source above the arc is the rendezvous window with sunlight shining through it; (3) Cernan and Schmitt wore their bubble helmets - but not their LEVAs - for liftoff and rendezvous. Therefore, the bright arc is likely to be either a sunlit portion of the top of Gene's bubble helmet or, as Hein suggests with reference to AS17-149-22859 (see below), Gene's hair. Mick Hyde has produced a labeled detail. The rendezvous window can also be seen at top center in Jack Schmitt's post-EVA-3 portrait of Gene, AS17-145-22225. Finally, as indicated in the labeled detail and in second detail, there seemed to be a possibility that we were seeing a reflection from the front of Gene's helmet of the lunar horizon partially blocked by the CSM. A view of the CSM during the final phases of rendezvous can be seen in AS17-145-22257 which was taken out Gene's window. However, a higher-resolution detail from 22857 by Kipp Teague makes that interpretation less likely. Journal Contributor Markus Mehring notes that, in this detail, Gene's handcontroller can be seen at the bottom corner of the window".