Ektachrome in Space

[P3D Jonathan Orovitz <jorovitz@xxxxxxxxx>]

Ektachrome fans,
Within the past two weeks there have been several posts about NASA's use
of Ektachrome on spaceflights.  I dug into my archives and came up with
a 1962 edition of National Geographic which featured John Glenn's
orbital flight in February of that year.  At the time, Geographic
credited both the photographer and his color film.  

In terms of film science, 35 years is a long time.  One's choice of film
was more limited than it is today.  Kodak's mainstream color film was
sold in speeds ranging from ASA 25 though 80 (Kodacolor-X).  Agfa slide
film, with its bundled processing by mail, was widely available.  Ansco
(later GAF) was also in the game.  I do not remember seeing Fuji slide
film sold in the USA until the early 1970s.

Many of the old NASA stills were indeed made with "HS Ektachrome."  If
memory serves, "High Speed Ektachrome" that was an ASA 64, E-4 daylight
slide film.  It later became known as Ektachrome-X.  The ground crew
used it for pictures of him entering the Mercury capsule.  Glenn used it
in a Nikon F 35mm SLR. Glenn also took photos of earth using "Eastman
Color Negative" film in his movie camera.  That is Kodak's type-A
(3400K) professional movie film.

The Geographic spread included scenes of the launch.  Some of the
ground-based reporters used Kodachrome to capture launch and some
spectators.

Seven years later, when Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the moon, I
believe they used an ASA 64 Ektachrome in their Hasselblads. Although
the moon can be bright, there was no 120 Kodachrome at the time.

The stereo literature of the 1950s often mentions Kodachrome but rarely
Ektachrome.  Kodak sold Kodachrome (ASA 10) in lengths suitable for
stereo cameras, bundled with processing and mounting.  Ektachrome of
that time was a blistering ASA 32 and could be processed at home in E-3
chemistry.  Kodak did not process it (in the USA).  Early Ektachrome's
color stability was better than some of its competitors (e.g. Ansco) but
not nearly as good as Kodachrome.

Jon Orovitz



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