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The Al Worden Collection by Loraine Rutt
Our very own Loraine Rutt, and NASA Apollo astronaut Al Worden, have announced an out of this world collaboration – The Al Worden Collection. Loraine has produced a limited edition of porcelain wall reliefs showing the topography of our moon, created to celebrate the recent 50th anniversary of NASA's Apollo missions in July of 1969. Each edition comes with a certificate signed by Colonel Al Worden himself!
Al Worden Collection launch (Image courtesy of Dr Stephen Burke)
Al Worden embarked on NASA's Apollo 15 mission in 1971, piloting the Command Module which orbited the moon. He witnessed the ‘Earthrise’ a whopping 75 times, while his fellow astronauts Dave Scott and Jim Irwin collected samples of moon rock from the surface.
Al Worden at NASA (1971) - Image courtesy of Loraine Rutt
During his time on the command module, Al captured photographs of the lunar surface using a high-resolution camera and laser altimeter. This produced data which the cartographers of the United States Geological Survey used to produce the contour maps which Loraine based these porcelain lunar topographies on!
Loraine Rutt - Apollo Landings 17 - Taurus Littrow (Signed by Al Worden)
Loraine Rutt - Apollo Landings 15 - Hadley Rille (Signed by Al Worden)
Loraine Rutt is an experienced ceramicist and cartographer and has been making maps using clay for over two decades. Her inspiration comes from the pocket globes of the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as the groundbreaking first photos of the Earth taken during the Apollo missions in 1968. This special collection was created for the modern collector to acknowledge the extraordinary fragility and beauty of our solar system; combining modern technology and Loraine's cartographic skills with traditional handmade ceramic techniques.
I took the picture that made this map - Al Worden
You can find more of Loraine's miniature porcelain globes here.
Loraine Rutt - Full Moon (Red Nappa Pocket Case with Azure Celestial Interior) - courtesy of TAG Fine ArtsCategories
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