Operation Apollo and increasing environmental awareness

Reaching at least orbit around the moon provided the Apollo astronauts with a unique vantage point on Earth where they can see the whole of it, and started environmental awareness in the public

Forty years ago, the Apollo astronauts set out on an adventure to discover the moon. They ended it by discovering our planet. The main insight is found in one picture - the picture where you see the earth hanging above the surface of the moon. The first to circle the moon were the Apollo 8 astronauts. According to the plan, they were supposed to photograph possible landing sites for future missions on the near side as well as the surface on the far side. Previously, only robotic missions photographed the far side of the Moon.
When the spacecraft emerged from behind the moon, the astronauts were surprised and amazed by the sight of Earth above the lunar horizon. Bill Anders rushed to take a picture showing the Earth, without the request for it being in the plan of action. Their timing could not have been better. It was Christmas Eve, 1968, one of the stormiest years in the history of the United States and the entire world. The image offered a necessary perspective to what is known as "home".

For the first time in history, humanity looked at the Earth and saw not just a puzzle of countries and continents on a flat map, but the entire planet without borders, a fragile and beautiful ball floating alone in the dangerous wilderness. The late nature photographer Glenn Rowell described the image as the most influential environmental image ever taken.
"The image changed the whole perception of humanity" says Kristen Erickson from NASA headquarters in Washington. "And a similar image taken by the astronauts of the Apollo 11-17 spacecraft sharpened the impact of this initial sighting.

The Apollo images of the Big Blue Ball ignited the early founders of the green movement and led to a fleet of modern Earth-watching satellites that NASA uses to monitor and predict weather, study the ozone hole, climate change, and more. Like Anders' camera, these satellites changed the way we see the Earth. And all this we achieved through the attempt to reach the moon.

The Apollo astronauts themselves were transformed when they viewed Earth from their unique perspective in space. "The mirror changed my life," said Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweikart. "You can only see nature's limits from above, not man-made limits." said Eugene Kernan, who participated in two Apollo missions: 10 and 17. "It's one of the most exciting experiences I've ever had."

Apollo 17 was the last manned mission to the moon. Since then, no one has been in a place where they can float and stare at the entire Earth at the same time. The crew of the International Space Station has a spectacular view of Earth, but not all of it. Because the space station is in low Earth orbit, only a portion of the planet can be seen at any given moment. You can't compete with the view you see from the moon.

We will be back soon. Currently, the LRO spacecraft is orbiting the moon and collecting critical data needed by NASA scientists to plan the manned missions. NASA is once again carving out a complex mission to the moon - this time to stay.

There are important reasons to return. Retired space shuttle astronaut Joseph Allen believes that our planet is one of them: "With all the arguments for and against going back to the moon, no one has suggested that we go back there to observe the Earth. But this is actually one of the most important reasons."

In one of the last hearings before his appointment as NASA administrator, retired astronaut Charles Bolden said: "I dreamed of the day when every American could fly into space and see the beauty and nobility of our planet."

Until then, only a few astronauts will make the journey for us all, and they will carry cameras thousands of times more sophisticated than those of the Apollo era.

For information on the NASA website