This article was originally written by Ben Barry for at SWNS — the U.K.’s largest independent news agency, providing globally relevant original, verified, and engaging content to the world’s leading media outlets.
Never-before-seen photographs have been released showing NASA astronauts testing the limits of human endurance and the technology needed to get humans to the moon and back.
The restored archival photos were shared to mark the 60th anniversary of Gemini V — one of the missions from Project Gemini, a predecessor of Project Apollo, which put the first people on the moon. The images were taken during the Gemini era, from 1965 to 1966, and the Project Mercury era, from 1961 to 1963.
Project Mercury was NASA’s first human spaceflight program, testing to see if humans could travel into orbit. Project Gemini saw NASA astronauts learn how to fly, live, and work in space for two weeks, the time necessary for people to travel to and from the moon. The two projects paved the way for the Apollo 11 mission, when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first individuals to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969.
Digital restoration expert Andy Saunders spent over 10,000 hours restoring more than 300 images from NASA’s archives, many pulled from film that was so degraded it appeared completely blank before he began his work. He’s compiled the restored photos in a book out Sept. 2 titled Gemini and Mercury Remastered.
Through the images, Saunders hopes to show that “Apollo didn’t come from nowhere” and highlight how these programs paved the way for the moon landings.
“These missions proved all of the fundamentals necessary to allow NASA to reach for the Moon: getting into space and back safely, long-duration missions, rendezvous and docking, surviving outside the spacecraft,” Saunders told SWNS. “They also show what real progress looks like: messy, imperfect, and hard-fought. In today’s world of instant gratification, these stories remind us that the most meaningful achievements come from resilience, creativity, and doing hard things that matter.”
Saunders said he had always intended to turn back the clock and dive into America’s first space race, noting that the Gemini and Mercury missions represent a milestone moment in history.
“The Mercury and Gemini missions are so important, not just in spaceflight history, but in human history. This was the golden era in the early 1960s, when the ancient dream of leaving Earth and reaching for the stars finally became reality,” he shared. “They also gave us our first real glimpse of our home planet, offering that unique perspective.”
Saunders spent around seven years across the two projects and was able to have many of the astronauts contribute. He said the family of Ed White, one of the astronauts who died on Apollo 1, was “amazed” by the imagery, which Saunders used for the cover of his book. Working with those who played a direct role in the projects helped ensure that how Saunders was processing the images closely represented the reality of when they were taken.
“That’s vital for authenticity, given the historical significance of the photographs, but also to allow us all to imagine making the journey ourselves,” he said. Saunders added that Jim Lovell, who died on Aug. 7, said the book “brought back many memories and he wanted to share with the world the awe he experienced, and to remind us all of the beauty of our home planet.”
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