The ascent stage of the LM Orion in lunar orbit after its liftoff from the Moon's surface, 16-27 April 1972

Vintage chromogenic print on fiber-based paper, printed 1972, numbered "NASA AS16-122-19531" (NASA MSC) in red in top margin, with "A KODAK PAPER" watermark on verso, 20,3 x 25,4 c, with 3 filing holesin upper margin not affecting the image

After more than three days on the Moon’s surface, the LM Orion with John Young and Charles Duke on board is seen during rendezvous with the CSM Casper hosting Ken Mattingly for the journey back to Earth.
The photograph shows the ascent stage of Orion with a contrasting background of darkness and the Moon’s Sea of Fertility (3° S, 47 ° E).Orion is yawing for inspection by Casper before docking. Parts of the LM thermal panels visibly buckled from the stresses of lift-off from the Moon but the damage posed no risk to Young and Duke in their link-up with Casper.

“That machine (the LM) just flies so nice. It’s just unbelievable! But once you get to ascent stage, it’s really light and responsive. Boy, you fire one of those thrusters and it does exactly what you want it to.”
John Young (from the mission transcript at 203:12:21 GET after trans Earth injection)

From the mission transcript as the two spacecrafts were closing in for rendezvous (photograph taken at T+177:14:08 after launch):
177:07:50 Young (Orion): Okay, we got 2000 feet now, Ken.
177:07:56 Mattingly (Casper): Okay. Man, that looks good.
177:08:02 Young (Orion): What a beautiful machine. [...]
177:09:56 Mattingly (Casper): You look a lot smaller in the daytime. At the same range.
177:10:04 Young (Orion): What a flying machine this is, Ken. Okay, 400 feet; we’re going to 4.
177:10:23 Mattingly (Casper): My, you look good. Your forward firing thrusters look like little flashlights when they fire.
177:10:30 Duke (Orion): Ken, you’re clean. You don’t have a boom out.
177:10:34 Mattingly (Casper): Okay, well, wait until you get back around there and take a look. [...]

Literature:
TIME, 15 May 1972, pg. 62 (variant); Full Moon, Light, pl. 104 (variant).