The First Earthrise
December 21, 2018 6:31 PM Subscribe
Lord. I can’t believe it’s been fifty years. Apollo 8 was riveting, and that picture magical and world-changing to this then-ten-year-old.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:44 PM on December 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Thorzdad at 6:44 PM on December 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
Earlier this year, I read Rocket Men. Although I was 7 when Apollo 8 occurred, I had no idea that NASA had this methodical approach to the Apollo missions planned and then decided to throw out that schedule and go for broke to beat the Soviets.
posted by elmay at 8:02 PM on December 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by elmay at 8:02 PM on December 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
I've been following the Apollo program in real time (delayed 50 years) via the Apollo 50th twitter project. It's such a fascinating thing, to realize how much was happening in such a short period of time. There's so many little details that never make the summary, but are still super interesting. It's especially cool during each mission, like this week.
posted by yuwtze at 8:07 PM on December 21, 2018
posted by yuwtze at 8:07 PM on December 21, 2018
Maybe one of the other links contained this link (I didn't see it, but might have missed it), but a few days ago APOD dropped this video (currently at 643 views) a reconstruction of the earthrise. More details here.
posted by smcameron at 8:26 PM on December 21, 2018
posted by smcameron at 8:26 PM on December 21, 2018
Lord. I can’t believe it’s been fifty years. Apollo 8 was riveting, and that picture magical and world-changing to this then-ten-year-old.
It's funny. I was almost two when this happened. I grew up with great interest in the space program, and knew the earthrise photo. It wasn't until fairly recently that I became aware of the impression it made on people, generally old enough to remember the event. For me, growing up with it the way I did, it was no more spectacular than any other. I didn't really get to see the lunar program roll out as it happened, so the impact of its timing completely passed me by. I wonder what young people today seeing it for the first time think?
posted by 2N2222 at 8:47 PM on December 21, 2018
It's funny. I was almost two when this happened. I grew up with great interest in the space program, and knew the earthrise photo. It wasn't until fairly recently that I became aware of the impression it made on people, generally old enough to remember the event. For me, growing up with it the way I did, it was no more spectacular than any other. I didn't really get to see the lunar program roll out as it happened, so the impact of its timing completely passed me by. I wonder what young people today seeing it for the first time think?
posted by 2N2222 at 8:47 PM on December 21, 2018
I basically grew up with the space program. Watched Gemini launches. Watched the splashdowns. Had space toys. Ultimately, I was the exact right age to watch Armstrong step on the moon live. The whole ride definitely made an impression on me.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:52 PM on December 21, 2018
posted by Thorzdad at 8:52 PM on December 21, 2018
Maybe one of the other links contained this link (I didn't see it, but might have missed it), but a few days ago APOD dropped this video (currently at 643 views) a reconstruction of the earthrise. More details here.
That's really nifty, smcameron. Thanks! (Although I don't know how you make a video like that and set it to music that's not Strauss's Zarathustra.)
posted by straight at 10:52 PM on December 21, 2018
That's really nifty, smcameron. Thanks! (Although I don't know how you make a video like that and set it to music that's not Strauss's Zarathustra.)
posted by straight at 10:52 PM on December 21, 2018
Readers should like the video in this FPP (self-link).
posted by Gyan at 1:34 AM on December 22, 2018
posted by Gyan at 1:34 AM on December 22, 2018
‘It Satisfies Every Childlike Curiosity’
Don DeLillo's literary interpretation of an astronaut’s “endlessly fulfilling” view of our home planet
posted by chavenet at 1:41 AM on December 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Don DeLillo's literary interpretation of an astronaut’s “endlessly fulfilling” view of our home planet
posted by chavenet at 1:41 AM on December 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
I was nine years old when the Apollo capsule fire happened. I have a strong memory of watching a news conference the next day where several reporters all asked "why wasn't the escape tower used?" I asked my father in an exasperated nine-year-old way "why are they asking that question again, isn't it obvious that that would just move the fire out into the ocean?"
It didn't become obvious to me for many years that the typical reporter does not have the laserlike focus of a nine year old boy watching space stuff. I haven't had it myself for a long time.
I could have sworn that I heard a news story a few years ago that said the "earthrise" photo had been erroneously printed in reverse all these years, but now I can't find anything about it. Did I just have a little stroke or something?
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 8:04 AM on December 22, 2018
It didn't become obvious to me for many years that the typical reporter does not have the laserlike focus of a nine year old boy watching space stuff. I haven't had it myself for a long time.
I could have sworn that I heard a news story a few years ago that said the "earthrise" photo had been erroneously printed in reverse all these years, but now I can't find anything about it. Did I just have a little stroke or something?
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 8:04 AM on December 22, 2018
This site is saying there were a couple of famous miss-printed:
[snip]
You might find the odd mistake though, like the one from the 1969 ‘Moonslaught’ publication aimed at cashing in on the Apollo 11 launch. Sharp eyed readers will notice it’s the wrong way round! Likewise the advert in National Geographic for Aerospace company TRW, which is also reversed.
posted by aleph at 8:19 AM on December 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
[snip]
You might find the odd mistake though, like the one from the 1969 ‘Moonslaught’ publication aimed at cashing in on the Apollo 11 launch. Sharp eyed readers will notice it’s the wrong way round! Likewise the advert in National Geographic for Aerospace company TRW, which is also reversed.
posted by aleph at 8:19 AM on December 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
I am embarrassed by my own (14-yr old's) reaction to the moon landing - I'd been reading nothing but Sci-Fi for about three years, and was impatient we'd only gotten to the moon!
Earthrise stopped me dead in my tracks. The big blue (and green) marble in the sky. All my supposed "sophistication" melted away when I saw that picture.
posted by dbmcd at 7:32 PM on December 22, 2018
Earthrise stopped me dead in my tracks. The big blue (and green) marble in the sky. All my supposed "sophistication" melted away when I saw that picture.
posted by dbmcd at 7:32 PM on December 22, 2018
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posted by mikelieman at 6:36 PM on December 21, 2018 [8 favorites]