Category: Planets & Space Landscapes
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First human-taken photograph of the Planet Earth: cover of LIFE magazine
Apollo 8 marked the extraordinary moment in history when humans truly left their Home Planet for the very first time. William Anders, James Lovell and Frank Borman became the first human beings to see the Earth as a sphere hanging in space; a great milestone for human consciousness.
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The Earth’s disc as first photographed by humans
The photograph was taken by William Anders with the 80mm lens. North American Rockwell was NASA’s prime contractor and manufacturer of the Apollo Command Module.
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The Earth horizon over China; Yangtze River, Shanghai
Pete Conrad captured this rare view over “the mouth of the silt-laden Yangtze River on the coast of mainland China (left), with Shanghai in the lower center of the picture. The river flow pattern and disposition rate seen here can be traced for over 75 miles as the river effluent mixes with the China Sea”.
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Planet Earth from Apollo 11 half way from the Moon
Apollo 11 was already about 98,500 nautical miles (182,500 km) from Earth when the crew witnessed this “out of this world” (according to Buzz Aldrin) view of their Home Planet floating in the dark void of space.
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The Blue Planet Earth first seen by humans, from 180,000 km out in space during the first return journey from another world
“Photography brought home the real meaning of our space activity, a grasp of what we can accomplish, and a view of the Earth as it really is: a small planet in a common type of planetary system around a rather normal, nondescript star.” —James Lovell
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The moon
Apollo 8 was the first crewed spacecraft to successfully orbit the Moon and return to Earth. The service propulsion system (SPS) engine was ignited 69 hours, 8 minutes, and 16 seconds after launch, and burned for 4 minutes and 7 seconds, placing the Apollo 8 spacecraft in orbit around the Moon
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One third of earth illuminated
View of the Earth terminator. One third of Earth sphere illuminated,East Africa visible. Image was taken after the transearth insertion as the Apollo 11 crew traveled back to Earth
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First live TV picture of another world broadcast on Earth
First live TV picture of another world shared to humans on Earth, showing a small impact crater in a little mare.
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First close-up photograph of Mars
The historic first photograph of Mars, taken from nearly 150 million miles away, showing the first ever close-up view of the Red Planet, featured on the cover of the TIME magazine on 23 July 1965.
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First close-up photographs of another world
Four consecutive views depicting the first close up photographs of another world taken by the crash lander Ranger 7 on its way down to the lunar surface.