One Giant Leap for Mankind: Vintage Photographs from the Victor Martin-Malburet Collection  28 October 2022

Buzz Aldrin conducted two stand up EVAs staying in the open hatch of the spacecraft and one more complex EVA during the Gemini XII mission.

These two incredible photographs were taken by Aldrin from outer space with the SuperWide Hasselblad camera and its 38mm lens as he stood freely in zero gravity in the open hatch of the spacecraft during his first stand up EVA.

The L-band antenna of the Agena satellite is in the foreground of the first photograph taken over the Pacific Ocean, the open hatch of the spacecraft in the second taken over the Bahamas.

From the mission transcript during the stand-up EVA
(first photograph taken at T+020:34:45 from launch):

019:34:04 Aldrin:

I imagine there’s a little bit of tension on my hoses now, but otherwise I’m floating now, completely free. My feet are just above the seat.

019:34:25 Lovell:

Okay.

019:34:28 Aldrin:

What a beautiful view. [...]

019:35:08 Aldrin:

What a thrill! [...]

020:31:23 Aldrin:

And give me something to take a picture of.

020:31:26 Lovell:

Okay. I’m turning around this - I’m going to rotate - yawing right, all the way around till the Sun is behind you.

020:31:33 Lovell:

Okay?

020:31:35 Aldrin:

Yes. Yawing around to the right. All right. [...]

020:33:14 Aldrin:

Lots and lots of water out here.

020:33:21 Lovell:

Might as well start taking pictures. [...]

020:34:45 Aldrin:

Lots and lots of Pacific Ocean down there.