Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login
Apollo 8’s Earthrise: The Shot Seen Round the World (nytimes.com)
97 points by pseudolus on Dec 24, 2018 | hide | past | favorite | 12 comments



If you're in or around Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry has a wonderful Apollo 8 exhibit right now [1] including the actual re-entry vehicle you can walk up to and inspect the burns -- the trainer moon lander (way bigger than it was in my imagination) -- and a recreated 1968 living room [2] where you can sit on a couch and watch the broadcast on TV. I was really touched by the experience.

[1] https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/henry...

[2] https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/events/to-the-...


I haven't seen that particular exhibit, but MSI is one of my favorite museums in the city. Plus, it's free for Illinois residents Mondays through Thursdays in Jan & Feb


I really wonder how that must have felt to watch it as it was happening at the time. It was incredible seeing Spacex land their first rocket back.


I remember watching the Apollo 8 Christmas eve broadcast. It was after my little kid bedtime, but I was allowed to stay up (I was on east coast time then).


This was the event, really. I was nine at the time, following closely with a decent grasp of the involved mechanics. For riveting wonder and excitement, nothing beat Apollo 8. Not Armstrong, not anything, this was it. Noone ever set off for the Moon before, and noone ever rode a Saturn V for that matter. All those who didn't live the sixties and their boundless can-do optimism: Envy those of us who did.

They didnt stream highres from space in those days. That photo had to wait until some days after landing. It was worth the wait.

[Written on train, excuse typos and shakiness]


All those who didn't live the sixties and their boundless can-do optimism: Envy those of us who did.

For a rather large chunk of American the 60's weren't boundlessly optimistic. Quite the opposite really starting with the Cuban Missile Crisis and ending in Vietnam.


Whether you chose to be pessimistic or optimistic during that time was up to you and your social circle. For those that were optimistic, there was a lot of technological advances to be optimistic about.

Moon landings became boring during that timeframe!


Whether you chose to be pessimistic or optimistic during that time was up to you and your social circle.

I think it had more to do with body bags and danger than to social circle. It was a bit of privelage to be optimistic.


Iconic image, and at the same time Bill Anders isn't a great fan of the idea of pushing further into deep space with humans [0]. At least not the way we're pursuing it at the moment (both public and private).

[0] https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46364179


Obviously an iconic photo but I think NASA ought to put an asterisk to clarify that the earth appears to rise because of the motion of the orbiter. This is clear from the speed of the rise anyway. Knowing this fact would not reduce the value of the image.


>speed of the rise

It's a still.

But here's an alternate title for you: "Picture from Spacecraft in Orbit Around Earth's Moon (Not an Asteroid or Other Celestial Body in Momentary Proximity) as Motion Causes the Earth to Appear to be Above the Lunar Rim."

Hopefully this is sufficiently clear.


> It's a still.

I'm referring to the video in the article. On 2:00 and 3:00 you can see the earth rising.

When I first saw this photo years and years ago I instinctively believed that the way we see the sun rise on earth due to the motion of the earth, the earth rose on the moon due to the motion of the moon (because the photo was titled "earthrise"). I learned later that the earth did not rise from the horizon like this, but wobbled in the sky. That's all. No need to change the title. But I still think it is misleading to call it "earthrise"




Join us for AI Startup School this June 16-17 in San Francisco!

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: