Moonshots: high-resolution aesthetics and the post-digital past

As humanity’s fascination with future cosmic voyages grows, the allure of images of outer space taken in the 20th century persists. This article examines how engineers, professionals and users rework old documentation of human and nonhuman endeavors into space. The study considers three cases of digitizing, remastering and algorithmically enhancing NASA-produced photographs and moving images: the digitization of rediscovered Lunar Orbiter satellite images that were transmitted and recorded on magnetic tapes in 1966; the digital modifications and augmentations of astronaut photography showcased in Andy Saunders’ book, Apollo Remastered (2022); and the enhancement of 16mm footage from the Apollo missions by enthusiasts using open-source tools to synthetically generate details and frames never captured on camera. Through a critical analysis of their discourses, the author argues that the idealization of high resolution and ‘seeing in detail’ assumes that historical materials – and perhaps the past itself – must be continuously updated to visually fit our current media standards.