I wasn’t sure what to call this article, so as you can see it ended up being Celebrating Space Stuff. Space is all around us-literally. It’s aboslutely amazing to think about, read about, see, and feel. Today is one piece of space’s history 40th birthday.
“Forty years ago today, on Dec. 7, 1972, three young men were on their way to the moon, racing away from the Earth at 25,000 miles per hour. Some ways out (about 28,000 miles), their ship passed a narrow tunnel of light, directly between the Earth and the sun. In that moment, they looked out the window and saw the Earth as almost no one had ever seen it: a giant, full, beautiful circle. The sands of the Sahara were in full sunlight. The snows of Antarctica shone bright white. The ocean resonated a deep blue hue.” – Frank Bures
That photo above, taken by one of the three astronauts from that initial flight, is now known as the iconic “Blue Marble”. It’s perfect. The most perfect Earth picture, anyone has ever seen. This image was different then others because instead of showing acid rain, volcanic eruptions, or any other “ugly” happenings, it shows the beauty of Earth. It shows the crystal blue water, the strong and green land, the white fluffy clouds, and that defined line that separates the planet from the space around it. It’s such a clear shot. “The photo became a global sensation, splashed across the pages of nearly every newspaper in the world. It inspired a children’s TV show called “Big Blue Marble” and became the official Earth Day flag. It was printed on so many T-shirts, posters and bumper stickers — “most any surface you can print on,” as Al Reinert observed — that it’s hard to remember not having seen it at all.” But now? This image’s value has been lost among the years. People look at it as “too fake”, “not real”. NASA has done a lot with this image to re-invent it. They’ve created a series of “Blue Marble” images which are absolutely breath-taking but still get mixed in with the “this is photoshopped” feelings.
The reason I’m writing about this is because today is this images 40th birthday. Not 39th, not 41st, but 40th. When my mom turned 40, she received a fancy dinner with 20 friends, a piano bar surprise party, and a Jeep Wrangler. What are we going to give this photo on it’s 40th birthday? Let’s give it a round of applause for not only being the only image any of us have ever seen of a full and clear earth but let’s give it a round of applause for being aboslutely beautiful. So today, as you’re walking around campus, when you throw your gum into the trash bin and you miss, don’t just keep walking. Pick it up and throw it out. When you need to dispose of your water bottle, walk the extra few feet to the nearest recycling bin. Although we all adore this photo, it would be amazing to snap another one in the next flight up to the moon. We don’t want it to just be another “Blue Marble” we want it to be better, bigger, and bluer than before.
Happy 40th Blue Marble.
Yours truly,
Jessica
References: Aol.com