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Author
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Topic: NASA glossy photo prints: Red ID numbers
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martin00sr
Member Posts: 60
From: Denmark
Registered: Mar 2007
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posted 04-23-2007 07:45 AM
   
I sometimes see NASA photos advertised as having red ID-numbers. Is that something special compared to (e.g.) black numbers? |
spaced out
Member Posts: 3110
From: Paris, France
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 04-23-2007 10:55 AM
Generally-speaking NASA color photos were printed with red IDs on the front and black-and-white photos with black IDs. It's not always true however, and sometimes vintage photos were printed without any IDs. |
mjanovec
Member Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 04-23-2007 12:43 PM
Also, some color pics from Mercury and Gemini era had blue IDs too. Not sure why, but they exist. |
Gad Space
New Member Posts: 9
From: Paris, France
Registered: Feb 2009
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posted 07-11-2009 02:18 PM
Can someone help me understanding the red serial number on NASA photos? Is there a link where I could know more about it? |
mjanovec
Member Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 07-12-2009 12:42 AM
There's nothing too complicated to understand. It's just a unique serial number applied to identify that specific photographic image. The photos that originated from the Manned Spacecraft Center (later known as the Johnson Space Center) typically started with an "S" followed by two digits that represent the year, and a few more digits that represent the number in the sequence that photo was filed under. Photos generated during the Apollo missions (especially photos taken by the crew during the missions) often started with "AS" (for Apollo Saturn), the mission number, and then the photo number. Certain collectors like the serial numbered photos, as they are obviously photos that originated from NASA. The photos printed on thick "A Kodak Paper" are the most highly sought after, as this paper was used almost exclusively for color images prior to 1973. There is no comprehensive catalog (so far) that lists all of the numbers, though Ed Hengeveld and JL Pickering have been attempting to compile a list. Plus they have collected many of the mission-related images onto their excellent series on disc found here (which are highly recommended). One last point, the topic header for this discussion is a bit misleading. Only photographic prints (on photographic paper) were printed with the red serial numbers. Lithographs, which were mass produced on card stock using the four color printing process, were not printed with red serial numbers. Red serial photos were printed in limited numbers for internal NASA use and for media use. Lithographs were mass produced for distribution to the general public. |
Gad Space
New Member Posts: 9
From: Paris, France
Registered: Feb 2009
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posted 07-12-2009 07:03 AM
Thank you very much for those explanations. |
JasonIUP
Member Posts: 282
From: PA
Registered: Apr 2004
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posted 09-20-2014 10:31 AM
I feel dumb asking, but I will anyway. What's the significance of red number photos? Why are they coveted?Editor's note: Threads merged. |
SpaceyInMN
Member Posts: 355
From: Andover, MN
Registered: Dec 2013
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posted 09-20-2014 10:57 AM
Thanks for asking, Jason. I've often wondered the same thing myself and never bothered to ask. |
Cozmosis22
Member Posts: 968
From: Texas * Earth
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 09-21-2014 05:12 PM
quote:
Originally posted by JasonIUP:
What's the significance of red number photos?
They were printed at the time of the event depicted in limited quantity for agency use and distributed to credentialed media only. |
milkit1
Member Posts: 271
From: Springfield Illinois USA
Registered: Sep 2015
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posted 11-19-2017 08:35 PM
Since the original NASA photos from the 60s have red numbers, has anyone ever logged these and make a complete checklist?Editor's note: Threads merged. |
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