Yes, they brought an iPhone into Space
From a Hasselblad to an iPhone 17 Pr Max
NASA has been releasing incredible photos from space and the Artemis II mission. And did you know that several of them were taken on the same camera you probably have in your pocket, an iPhone? Yes, an iPhone is so good now that it can take photos in space.
Caveat: most of the stunning photos from of the Moon mission were taken on a big Nikon camera, the D5, which in itself is a story, More on that in a minute. The casual shots of the astronauts in the spacecraft were taken with an iPhone, the latest model, the 17 Pro Max. NASA chose an older Nikon, the D5, which it discontinued in 2025, to shoot the photos of Earth as seen from the Moon. NASA picked the D5 over newer cameras because it felt the D5 could withstand the rigors of space travel.
For the iPhone shots, the iPhone performed incredibly. The photos of the astronauts silhouette in the spacecraft, with earth behind them are just absolute classics. Photos like these are hard to get–Earth could have looked overblown. But what most people don’t realize about photos taken on the iPhone is that Apple actually takes nine photos at once, and merges them into one. That’s why the photos look so good. You get three that are too light, three too dark, and three that are normal, and they get sandwiched together.
Would the previous iPhones have done so well for photography, for photos outside the spacecraft?
I don’t know. I believe the 17 is the best iPhone ever for photography, and I wouldn’t want to use any other model, but that’s mostly because the selfie camera was so drastically improved.
What else were the astronauts doing with their phones in space? Playing games?
No, they were not connected to the internet or bluetooth. The phones were solely for photo and note taking, which is how I use them for Photowalks.
How does NASA go about selecting which cameras to bring on missions? Do companies have to buy sponsorships?
No, not at all. NASA has rigorous testing cameras have to meet and in the case of the iPhones, the astronauts requested them to do the same things we like to do with cameras–document our lives.
Those amazing Nikon shots
Don’t these photos take your breath away?
A Taste of Bakersfield
I’ve spent the last 2 days up in Bakersfield, California this week working on an upcoming episode of Photowalks. So pop quiz time: I found this in the kitchen of one of the many incredible food establishments I visited during my time here, courtesy of local Pete Yackey. Can anyone guess what this is?
Meanwhile, we get around! On Photowalks on Scripps Sunday we’ll be back in Osaka, Japan’s second largest metro, for a look at the second city, the food and the incredible shopping that goes on for miles and miles, and we’ll meet Brent and Michael, the nomads (and fellow Substackers) who were living in Osaka at the time of our visit. Tune in at 10 a.m. ET or watch the replay on YouTube.
Jeff