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  Anthropologist cites Apollo 8 "Earthrise" photo

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Author Topic:   Anthropologist cites Apollo 8 "Earthrise" photo
neo1022
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Posts: 281
From: Santa Monica, CA
Registered: Jun 2013

posted 10-10-2014 09:42 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for neo1022   Click Here to Email neo1022     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
An Apollo 8 shout-out from noted anthropologist Wade Davis:
"[O]ne of the two greatest revelations of [our] lifetime was Apollo 8's emergence from the dark side of the moon on Christmas Eve 1968 to see the Earth climb over the moon's surface. For the first time in history, human beings saw an earthrise — and were made to understand that they share a living world.

People will be talking about that image for 2,000 years," Davis says. "We saw the Earth as it really is — a solitary blue planet floating in the velvet void of space."

One Big Monkey
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Posts: 171
From: West Yorkshire, UK
Registered: Jul 2012

posted 10-11-2014 01:19 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for One Big Monkey     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
That image is quite often claimed to have kick-started the conservation movement in the public consciousness, although the need for environmental awareness and care was already being discussed in academic and other circles.

So much so that a magazine called 'Whole Earth Catalog', a directory of companies and individuals selling a combination of green and 'survivalist' products aimed at sustainable and independent lifestyles, regularly featured Apollo images on the cover.

The eventual founder of the magazine even produced a badge saying "Why haven't we seen a picture of the whole Earth yet?", specifically aimed at NASA with the idea of encouraging the growth of environmentalism by taking images of our planet.

One Big Monkey
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Posts: 171
From: West Yorkshire, UK
Registered: Jul 2012

posted 10-11-2014 01:24 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for One Big Monkey     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
...and as another aside, one of the interesting things that comes across from all of the Apollo astronauts I have heard speak is that the best thing about the trip to the moon was the view of home, and the thoughts of what that little blue ball meant to them.

Space Cadet Carl
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Posts: 225
From: Lake Orion, Michigan
Registered: Feb 2006

posted 10-11-2014 06:40 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Space Cadet Carl   Click Here to Email Space Cadet Carl     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yes, the astronauts comments seem to hint at the Moon being a gigantic, static rock... as opposed to the Earth being a moving, dynamic object. Was it Lovell or Borman that described the Moon as "a not very friendly looking place"?

Tykeanaut
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From: Worcestershire, England, UK.
Registered: Apr 2008

posted 10-11-2014 09:56 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Tykeanaut   Click Here to Email Tykeanaut     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I remember someone made the comment that we went to the moon and found the earth.

Blackarrow
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Posts: 3160
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 10-11-2014 10:21 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blackarrow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Space Cadet Carl:
Was it Lovell or Borman that described the Moon as "a not very friendly looking place"?
Many images taken on the surface of the Moon make it look very inviting. Jim Irwin was reminded of Sun Valley ski-resort as he looked around the bright mountain slopes.

Anyway, there are many views on Earth which look positively hideous... for instance, most seaside resorts on a wet winter weekend.

Joel Katzowitz
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Posts: 811
From: Marietta GA USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 10-11-2014 10:23 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Joel Katzowitz   Click Here to Email Joel Katzowitz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I read the emotional impact of seeing earth stunned everyone. Almost nobody anticipated the power of the images.

schnappsicle
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Posts: 396
From: Houston, TX, USA
Registered: Jan 2012

posted 10-13-2014 07:16 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for schnappsicle   Click Here to Email schnappsicle     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
While the Apollo 8 photo was awesome, I can't wait for a manned flight to land near the eastern or western limb of the moon. How great would it be to see the "earthrise" from the surface of the moon.

Imagine the shot Dave Scott took of Jim Irwin standing next to the flag during Apollo 15. Now imagine it with the earth on the horizon.

Space Cadet Carl
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Posts: 225
From: Lake Orion, Michigan
Registered: Feb 2006

posted 10-13-2014 10:28 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Space Cadet Carl   Click Here to Email Space Cadet Carl     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yes, I recall complementary descriptions of the Moon also. I believe "foreboding" was the expression used on Apollo 8. That comment on 8 made the Moon sound more ominous.

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