Apollo Orbital Photography

Photographic mapping of the Moon continued during Project Apollo. The final three flights—Apollos 15, 16, and 17—carried metric mapping and panoramic cameras during their long-duration stays in lunar orbit.

An illustration of Apollo 16’s SIM bay in the Service Module. The SIM bay door was jettisoned during the flight to the Moon. Image source: Ertel, Ivan D., et al. The Apollo Spacecraft: A Chronology, vol. 4. NASA, 1969.

SIM Bay

The lunar mapping and panoramic cameras were mounted in the Apollo Scientific Instrument Module (SIM) bay of the Service Module on Apollos 15 through 17. The cameras and other science experiments in the SIM bay were operated by the Command Module Pilot in orbit while his colleagues were on the lunar surface.

Photograph of the Apollo 17 Command Module, America, that gives a clear view of the SIM bay. The picture was taken by astronauts in the Lunar Module, Challenger, after their stay on the surface. Image source: NASA photograph AS17-145-22254.