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PERTINENT TOPICS

This is a long, information-dense page.
At least it’s the last page.

Intellectual Property

• The original, raw photos are effectively in the public domain. NASA PHOTO TERMS OF USE  
• It may be possible to copyright Restored photos (see below) as derived works.
• Even if they are not copyrightable, APE^x is currently the only practical method of finding these images.
• Using APE^x as a model, my efforts could be duplicated, so I’ve kept the project quiet until now.

Photo Restoration

Color correction and contrast adjustments are usually just the first step. I use the term Restoration to include color and contrast; cropping and rotation; sharpening; several different types of defect repairs; gamma (curve) adjustments; and the use of other basic Photoshop tools.

The images are not “Photoshopped” in the negative, colloquial sense. As much as possible, everything is real unless something degraded the image enough to justify repair. All photographers know how to clean a camera lens, but not all astronauts know how to clean a window.

I use modern sharpening software (Topaz™) but I haven’t investigated modern technology like upscaling, which is the optimization of a small image for large-format display.  A professional photographer or photo editor would know far more about what’s possible with modern software.

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“Jigsaws”

I focus mostly on single images, but APE^x is full of potential composite/mosaic photos.

This is a 4-photo pre-production mockup; color correction and edge-blending are still rough.

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Small Photos

In recent years I have ignored 6-16mp photos because of their size, and because the 6-12mp photos were taken with first-generation digital cameras.

This is a nice crisp 6mp digital photo from 2002 that would be only 6″x10″ if printed…

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…but that’s big enough to be used in glossy magazines, brochures, and other small-format printed material.

The large, high-resolution photos also contain a huge volume of smaller, close-up croppings within them.

Large images can of course be resized for use in electronic media, but the visual impact is greatly reduced by the limited size and quality of computer screens. Zooming/scrolling is a fundamentally different experience from seeing everything at once, in a picture frame. For me, at least, it reproduces some of the awe that so many astronauts report experiencing.

The APE^x Dataset

Cross-sections (“albums”) of the APE^x dataset itself could be exported to a desktop database¹ for licensing to other people.  The APE^x dataset is far more comprehensive than the online NASA database².

1) Any SQL database, including Oracle®, MySQL®, SQL Server®/Access®, PostgreSQL®, etc.  APE^x also generates flat files for Excel®.
2) APE^x cross-references data from multiple sources; it validates all imported data; it is appropriately normalized for SQL;  and, to speed up searches, it pre-calculates “derived” values by combining data from different fields. Example: Using the date-time and the latitude/longitude, APE^x pre-calculates whether each photo is daytime or night, which is very useful as a search filter.

Production Cost vs. Retail Price

TLDR;  Cost to produce one photoprint: $12+shipping. Retail Price: $50-150.

Using my own printer, I can produce 16″x24″ glossy or satin prints in low volume for $10-12 each.  That includes Kodak satin or gloss photopaper, Epson ink, a 4″ mailing tube with caps, labels, a glassine protective sheet, a letter- or legal-size color info sheet about the photo, a website promo, other printed materials, and depreciation of the printer. (Epson SureColor SC-P800; 9 ink cartridges; 17″ carriage; roll photopaper; 2026 replacement cost ~$1200.)

Custom single-print costs are the worst case, so the real-world cost of producing prints in volume could be significantly less than $10.

In October 2025 I asked ChatGTP® to survey and summarize the retail prices of a close analog of these photos: ground-level landscape and aerial photographic prints that are suitable for framing.

“Typical retail” for a good quality museum‑print 16×24 falls around $80‑150, but many will sell for less ($40‑70) or much more ($200+) depending on what “professional quality” means.  On standard photo‑labs / “non‑fine‑art” prints: you’ll see prices around US $40–70 for 16×24 size. On the more “photographer retail / gallery” end: 16×24″ prints can run US $100–200+ depending on premium materials (metal, fine art paper, limited edition status).

Landscape photographer Mike Bucher Photography’s pricing for a 16×24 is $175.
proartprints.com lists 16×24 at about $44 for a satin/gloss print.
Salt Creek Prints 16×24 Landscape Print: ~$150.00 — higher end for landscape art.

In summary, the retail price for a 16×24″ professional‑quality photographic print (especially landscape photography) varies quite a lot depending on the materials, edition size, finish, and whether it’s signed/limited edition.