Fortieth AnniversaryBoston’s The Big Picture has an anniversary album (40 images) celebrating the first mission to the moon.
Here is its preamble:
“40 years ago, three human beings - with the help of many thousands of others - left our planet on a successful journey to our Moon, setting foot on another world for the first time.
Tomorrow marks the 40th anniversary of the July 16, 1969 launch of Apollo 11, with astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. aboard.
The entire trip lasted only 8 days, the time spent on the surface was less than one day, the entire time spent walking on the moon, a mere 2 1/2 hours - but they were surely historic hours….
Collected here are 40 images from that journey four decades ago, when, in the words of astronaut Buzz Aldrin: "In this one moment, the world came together in peace for all [hu]mankind".
Caption to Photo #28 (pictured)
“Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, photographed by Neil Armstrong (visible in reflection).”
“Buzz Aldrin: ‘As I walked away from the Eagle Lunar Module, Neil said 'Hold it, Buzz', so I stopped and turned around, and then he took what has become known as the 'Visor' photo.’”
A Solitary Moment
“I like this photo because it captures the moment of a solitary human figure against the horizon of the Moon, along with a reflection in my helmet's visor of our home away from home, the Eagle, and of Neil snapping the photo.”
The World Came Together
“Here we were, farther away from the rest of humanity than any two humans had ever ventured. Yet, in another sense, we became inextricably connected to the hundreds of millions watching us more than 240,000 miles away. In this one moment, the world came together in peace for all [hu]mankind.”
Link: Remembering Apollo 11, The Big Picture, 15 July 2009.
Dr Geoff Pound
Geoff can be contacted by email at geoffpound(at)gmail.com on Facebook and Twitter.
Image: Photo #28 (courtesy of The Big Picture at the above link). Check out the entire album of 40 photographs. CLICK TO ENLARGE.