If neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon - who took his picture?

Answer 1

The picture I think you are referring to is of Buzz Aldrin. Neil Armstrong took the photo and also most of the ones taken on the Apollo 11 moon landing. He did not directly appear in any still photographs while on the surface.

Answer 2

If you mean on the moon, then there is only one photograph of Armstrong actually on the moon. This is because Armstrong's job was to photograph and Aldrin's to set up the experiments, so virtually all the photographs taken during Apollo 11 (including the iconic image of man on the moon) was Buzz Aldrin.

There was also a TV camera attached to the lunar module which captured the climb down the ladder.

Answer 3

There was a camera attached to a fold out table called the MESA. When Neil was on the top rung of the LM he pulled a d-ring which unfolded the MESA from the side of the LM. Buzz then pushed a breaker switch inside which activated the camera.

From the mission transcript:

109:21:07 Aldrin: Did you get the MESA out?

109:21:09 Armstrong: I'm going to pull it now. (Pause) [Neil is pulling the D-ring which releases the MESA, attached to the side of the LM under Buzz's station, and lets it swing down into an accessible position. Once down on the surface, he can adjust the MESA height if necessary. Training photo S69-31080 (scan by Paolo Dangelo) shows Neil working at the MESA. A drawing of the MESA shows the location of the TV camera which will show Neil's climb down the ladder.]

109:21:18 Armstrong: Houston, the MESA came down all right.

109:21:22 McCandless: (This is) Houston. Roger. We copy. Standing by for your TV.

109:21:39 Armstrong: Houston, this is Neil. Radio check.

109:21:42 McCandless: Neil, this is Houston. Loud and clear. Break. Break. Buzz, this is Houston. Radio check, and verify TV circuit breaker in.

109:21:54 Aldrin: Roger, TV circuit breaker's in. And read you loud and clear.

109:22:00 McCandless: Roger. (Pause)

109:22:06 McCandless: And we're getting a picture on the TV.

See "related links" below for links to the transcript and the two images referenced in the comments above.

Answer 4

The footage of Armstrong descending the ladder was captured by a camera mounted on a section of the LM known as the MESA. The MESA folded out from the side of the LM after Armstrong, while standing on the ladder, pulled a D-Ring handle, releasing the MESA and allowing it to fold down. The camera, mounted to the MESA, automatically turned on when the MESA was deployed, and was purposely positioned to capture Armstrong descending the ladder in order to capture those first steps on the moon's surface.

Answer 5

When Armstrong exited the lunar module and reached the top of the ladder, he pulled a lanyard, which opened a storage area on the outside of the lunar module and activated a black & white camera within it. The camera was aimed at the ladder to show Armstrong's descent and first step onto the moon.

Answer 6

The camera was mounted to a fold out table called the MESA. While climbing down the ladder Neil pulled a D-shaped handle positioned at the edge of the Porch. This released the MESA, which hinged open 120 degrees or so. The TV camera was pre-positioned so that when the MESA was opened it would be pointing at the ladder.

In the first picture linked below you can see the MESA in a deployed state (during a training exercise), covered in heat-protective mylar. If you look close, you can see the exposed lens of the television camera pointing towards the LM ladder.

In the second picture, the mylar has been removed from the MESA, but you can see the A-shaped braket that held the camera in place. This shot also gives you sense of where the MESA is in relation to the LM ladder that Neil came down.

Compare these images with the view of Neil coming down the ladder (third linked image) and you can see they match up exactly.

Answer 7

The photographer was Mike Collins. He was one of the three with Neil and Buzz who stayed aboard the Lunear retrievel module and took the photos from the window.