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First space Hasselblad goes under the hammer

Mercury mission snapper up for grabs

The first Hasselblad camera to travel into space will go under the hammer next week, over 50 years after it was carried aloft by Walter M Schirra on the Mercury MA-8 mission.

View of the first Hasselblad in space

The first Hasselblad in space - yours for $10k+

Camera enthusiast Schirra bought the 500c and 80mm Zeiss lens at a Houston photo dealers in 1962, according to RR Auction.

Schirra with the Hasselblad in 1962

Schirra gets to grips with the Hasselblad in 1962

He and fellow astronaut Gordon Cooper worked with the United States Air Force camera laboratory on some modifications to the camera's body, and the addition of an aiming device and 100-exposure film container.

Image from the Mercury MA-8 mission

An image captured by Schirra during Mercury MA-8

The Swedish snapper's performance during Mercury MA-8 - in October 1962 - was impressive enough to earn it a second flight in May 1963, when Cooper captured some fetching portraits of Earth on Mercury MA-9.

Next page: Mercury rising

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