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Earthrise from Lunar Orbiter 1

Earthrise from Lunar Orbiter 1

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NASA / LOIRP

Earthrise from Lunar Orbiter 1
On August 23, 1966, Lunar Orbiter 1 took the first photo of Earth as seen from lunar orbit. While a remarkable image at the time, the full resolution of the image was never retrieved from the data stored from the mission. In 2008, this earthrise image was restored by the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project at NASA Ames Research Center. They obtained the original data tapes from the mission (the last surviving set) and restored original FR-900 tape drives to operational condition using both 60s era parts and modern electronics. A 1.2 GB full resolution version of the image is available from NASA here.
Geometrical perspective of the first Earth-Moon photo

NASA

Geometrical perspective of the first Earth-Moon photo
This NASA chart from 1966 shows how this iconic photo was taken.

Original version of the Lunar Orbiter 1

NASA

Original version of the Lunar Orbiter 1 "Earthrise" image

Most NASA images are in the public domain. Reuse of this image is governed by NASA's image use policy.

Original image data dated on or about August 23, 1966

Explore related images: pics of Earth by planetary missions, BMSIL, pretty pictures, Lunar Orbiter, Earth, the Moon, many worlds

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