Counting Down to Apollo

One American's account of watching humanity reach the Moon

Tag: earthrise

Reflections August 1, 1973

What the Moon Taught Me About Earth

The Earthrise photograph from Apollo 8, and the Blue Marble from Apollo 17. Two photographs taken from beyond Earth. Both are of Earth, not the Moon. Maybe that's the real thing the Moon program gave us: a picture of home from somewhere else. A new way to see the place…
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Christmas Eve at the Moon
Apollo 8 December 24, 1968

Christmas Eve at the Moon

On Christmas Eve 1968, three American astronauts in orbit around the Moon read from the Book of Genesis. Before they read, Bill Anders took a photograph. He called out: "Oh my God, look at that picture over there!" He had seen the Earth rising above the lunar horizon. Earthrise. The…
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