In 1995, while working as a photographer, I had a chance meeting in Berlin with a producer who was filming a documentary about NASA’s astronauts. I was asked to take some advertising photos and, of course, I accepted. On December 6, I entered Mission Control at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, the same control center that made history with the landing of Apollo in 1969.
There were six astronauts preparing for the STS-72 mission, which was to leave Earth on the Endeavor spacecraft, tasked with bringing a Japanese spacecraft back into orbit. Brian Duffy, a former Air Force pilot, was the commander of the mission.
The following month, the film crew and I traveled between NASA space centers in Florida and Texas on numerous budget flights. The astronauts, on the other hand, made the shuttle in their personal NASA T-38 supersonic planes. Many of the images I took were in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, a large pool where astronauts participated in complex and dangerous training exercises that simulate the weight they will experience during space travel.
The crew was welcoming, although they focused on the fast-approaching launch day and their demanding schedule. I was in a privileged position to observe this closely related group at a critical time in the history of the Space Shuttle program. Each shuttle mission has been plagued by technical problems and a constant struggle with the US Congress to obtain the necessary funding. The program has cost about $ 209 billion in its 30-year history until its closure in 2011.
A key objective of the mission was to test the ability of a new space suit design to withstand the extreme cold of space © John Angerson
Angerson photographed Endeavor attached to Kennedy Space Center’s main space shuttle engines © John Angerson
The photos describe the team’s camaraderie; I found their company relaxed and full of humor. Mission Specialist Daniel T Barry was affectionately named Doctor Doctor because of his two doctorates; Koichi Wakata was known simply as the Man.
My first photos from the STS-72 project were used in the television list pages of magazines and newspapers when the documentary was released in 1996. I reviewed the work this year during the block and found many images that I had overlooked and that now they are seen for the first time. Moreover, researching the history of the mission at the US National Archives, we discovered hundreds of photos taken by the STS-72 crew in Earth orbit.
Twenty-five years later, reflecting on these images, I believe that my access has allowed me to capture a unique intimacy among astronauts, which is rarely seen.
Koichi “Man” Wakata spent more than 11 months in space throughout his career and was Japan’s first mission specialist © John Angerson
Winston E Scott wears the space suit that was designed to protect him from extreme temperatures during spacewalks © John Angerson
An image of NASA Earth observed from the Endeavor Space Shuttle during its STS-72 mission in 1996 © NASA images courtesy of the National Archives
This image of Angerson shows Scott being lowered into a diving pool in a neutral buoyancy training exercise © John Angerson
A view of the Earth captured by the STS-72 crew © NASA images, courtesy of the National Archives
On launch day, the nearby team seals the astronauts inside the shuttle © John Angerson
Johnson Space Center Control Room, Texas, where astronauts trained for STS-72 © John Angerson
“STS-72” by John Angerson (28 GBP) is available at johnangerson.com
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