13
$\begingroup$

Have astronauts in space suits ever taken selfies?

Were selfie sticks used?

If not, how was this feat accomplished?

$\endgroup$
2
  • 4
    $\begingroup$ Does this very famous Apollo 11 image count as selfie? "No other Apollo photograph has been reproduced as often as this portrait of Buzz. Neil is, of course, visible in reflection on Buzz's visor." $\endgroup$
    – Uwe
    Apr 6, 2019 at 14:17
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ @Uwe Is not Neil's pic a "eifles"? $\endgroup$ Apr 6, 2019 at 20:23

1 Answer 1

20
$\begingroup$

Several space selfies were made and chances are you already know the very first one Buzz Aldrin took of himself during Gemini 12.

Buzz Aldrin selfie during Gemini 12

The cameras used are large-ish but imagine even holding a shoe box in front of you with thick gloves on: you're still able to point it at yourself in a distance suitable to make a photograph of yourself, provided the lens' focal length/field of view allows to capture enough of your face.

At least some of the cameras just look like a normal DSLR in a special casing and can be seen in the helmet reflections like this one:

Luca Parmitano selfie

There is a nice gallery of space selfies at Wikimedia.

$\endgroup$
9
  • $\begingroup$ Wow, I didn't know about any of these, or that there was a selfie page. I'd assumed that astronaut cameras were set up to work only in the most conventional point and shoot configuration. $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Apr 6, 2019 at 8:05
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ I've always assumed that selfies had to be done with smartphones, because the term includes a pun on the beginning of the word "cellphone". But I've checked a number of dictionaries and they just say that they're typically taken with a hand-held digital camera. $\endgroup$
    – Barmar
    Apr 6, 2019 at 19:00
  • 4
    $\begingroup$ It's too bad the Apollo 12 crew couldn't get their smuggled self-timer to work. The planned portrait of the two of them standing next to Surveyor III could well have beaten Armstrong's portrait of Aldrin as "most-reproduced". $\endgroup$
    – Mark
    Apr 6, 2019 at 19:41
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ @Barmar That only works in American English. Otherwise they're called "mobile phones". "self" plus a suffix "-ie" works in all varieties of English. $\endgroup$
    – CJ Dennis
    Apr 7, 2019 at 6:22
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ @uhoh: Good catch! But that's a part of the Italian flag on his shoulder ^_^ $\endgroup$
    – DarkDust
    Apr 8, 2019 at 14:29

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.