Artist: Mitchell Jamieson, 1963
Media: Acrylic, gauze, and paper on canvas
Description: In a silver-colored spacesuit, astronaut Gordon Cooper steps away from his Mercury spacecraft and into the bright sunlight on the deck of the recovery ship after 22 orbits of Earth. Mitchell Jamieson documented Cooper's recovery and medical examination and accompanied him back to Cape Canaveral.
Image Credit: Mitchell Jamieson
All rights reserved
Courtesy: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
Artist: Paul Calle, 1963
Media: Oil on panel
Description: This painting depicts the first seconds of lift-off of the Saturn V moon rocket.
Each of the 5 F-1 engines could encompass a full grown man standing up, and produced over 1.5 million pounds of thrust.
Image Credit: Paul Calle
All rights reserved
Artist: James Wyeth, 1964
Media: Watercolor on paper
Description: In the early days of manned spaceflight, technicians responsible for a launch worked in a domed, concrete-reinforced blockhouse, protected from accidental explosions. Although surrounded by cutting-edge technology, the technicians relied on a bicycle for check-up trips to the launch pad.
Image Credit: James Wyeth
All rights reserved
Artist: Norman Rockwell, 1965
Description: Astronauts John Young and Gus Grissom are suited for the first flight of the Gemini program in March 1965. NASA loaned Norman Rockwell a Gemini spacesuit in order to make this painting as accurate as possible.
Image Credit: Norman Rockwell
All rights reserved
Courtesy: NASA Art Program
Artist: Robert McCall, mid-1960s Media: Watercolor
Description: The Gemini V crew, Gordon Cooper and Charles Conrad, bob in a life raft beside their spacecraft as a helicopter comes to the rescue after their Earth orbital mission, which took place August 21-29, 1965. It was the longest manned flight to date -- 7 days, 22 hours, and 55 minutes. Artist Robert T. McCall documented the return of the crew from the recovery ship USS Lake Champion in the Atlantic Ocean.
Image Credit: Robert McCall
All rights reserved
Courtesy: NASA Art Program