40 Years Ago Today

Filed in National by on December 24, 2008

“Earthrise” was taken by the Apollo 8 crew on Christmas Eve 1968. This was the first image of our planet from deep space.

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Comments (10)

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  1. Dorian Gray says:
    December 24, 2008 at 8:44 am

    I’m not a scientist (maybe UI can correct me if I’m mistaken) but the moon is hardly ‘deep’ space.

    And since I’m on complaints, that snow graphic cascading across the screen is minor league cartoonery.

    I hate the holidays!

  2. nemski says:
    December 24, 2008 at 9:10 am

    Geez, DG. Why didn’t you mention that there were other images of Earth first seen by aliens?

    There had been pictures of Earth with the Gemini missions, but this was the first the showed the entire ball.

    What a doofus. 😉

  3. Truth Teller says:
    December 24, 2008 at 9:13 am

    DG
    how anyone can look at this and not feel something is beyond belief.
    anyway Merry Christmas

  4. jason330 says:
    December 24, 2008 at 9:19 am

    40 years ago anything seemed possible and as a species we seemed to be on the brink of being able to break out of 10,000 of superstition, stupidity and violence.

    Oh well.

  5. Donhusseinsquishviti says:
    December 24, 2008 at 9:40 am

    40 years ago they were in a hollywood lot filming this!

  6. Dorian Gray says:
    December 24, 2008 at 1:20 pm

    Oh, it is a fucking great photo. Awe inspiring even. But not taken from ‘deep’ space. And in no way connected to my loathing of Xmas.

    And it is ‘beyond belief’, sure, but I don’t know what that has to do with it. The snow graphics are fucking lame.

  7. nemski says:
    December 24, 2008 at 1:30 pm

    Sorry, I went with what NASA said. 😉

    This photo of “Earthrise” over the lunar horizon was taken by the Apollo 8 crew in December 1968, showing Earth for the first time as it appears from deep space.

  8. Dorian Gray says:
    December 24, 2008 at 1:44 pm

    Fair enough. I thought considering the vast expanses of space the moon is right on top of us… even in our own solar system. When you think of it that way it is even more awe inspiring to me.

    But again, who am I to triffle with NASA.

  9. JQ Public says:
    December 24, 2008 at 3:32 pm

    In 1968, Apollo 8 gave us all a great moment to ponder the wish of “Peace on Earth” 40 years later we’re still trying. I hope the streets of Wilmington can be safer in 2009. Stop the killing!

  10. Unstable Isotope says:
    December 24, 2008 at 6:58 pm

    The moon is hardly deep space, we’ve never even gotten out of our own solar system. There’s so much out there to discover. And, that is one super-cool photo.

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