Andy Saunders (film restorer)

Andy Saunders is a British film restorer and author who specialises in historical NASA imagery. He created the only clear image of Neil Armstrong on the moon and for his book, Apollo Remastered.

Early life
Saunders was born in Appley Bridge, near Wigan in England and went to Loughborough University.

He worked in logistics management and home renovations before he began restoring old film of the Apollo space missions.

Film restoration
Saunders started working on historic film in around 2010 when he applied a stacking technique to 16 mm movie footage "to produce a clear, recognisable image of Neil Armstrong on the moon". He released the image in 2019, which made the front page of The Daily Telegraph on Apollo 11's 50th anniversary.

In 2020 he developed a digital processing technique for film which helped reveal life on board Apollo 13 mission, and published a detailed photographic analysis for NASA, of the damage caused by the explosion that crippled the Service Module. In 2021 he produced more digitally enhanced images. Also in 2021, he produced clear images of the moment Alan Shepard became the first American in space in 1961. Then in 2022, he produced a further series of images for the 60th anniversary of John Glenn's orbital flight.

From 2019 to 2022, Saunders undertook a project to assess NASA's archive of 35,000 still photographs and 10 hours of 16 mm movie footage and digitally remaster the film. The remastered images are widely regarded as the "highest quality" photographs produced of humankind's first missions to the moon.

A book, Apollo Remastered, was released in September 2022 by Penguin Random House in the UK, and Hachette Book Group in the US. The book contains 400 images of the Apollo missions as well as chapters covering the development of specialist photographic equipment, the history of space photography and the techniques used to remaster the images. Apollo Remastered became the highest-grossing photography book for 20 years. Timed with the 50th anniversaries of each Apollo mission, Saunders released restored images.

In 2023 Saunders collaborated with Tom Hanks, Christopher Riley and 59 Productions as Consultant Producer on The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks, an immersive experience show at London's Lightroom.

Apollo Remastered exhibition
The Apollo Remastered exhibition opened in September 2022 at London's Royal Albert Hall, before moving to Glasgow, the United Arab Emirates, Jodrell Bank, and the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum in north west England. In late 2023, an outdoor exhibition was also hosted around King's Cross in London.

Awards

 * 2023: Award for Scientific Imaging Winner, Royal Photographic Society