While ISS astronauts do a spacewalk this Christmas eve, I thought that this would be the best tribute I could make for them, and for all of my readers, contributors, and moderators.
Audio and some stunning new video follow.
![480px-NASA-Apollo8-Dec24-Earthrise[1]](http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/480px-nasa-apollo8-dec24-earthrise1.jpg?quality=83)
They recited:
Bill Anders
“We are now approaching lunar sunrise, and for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you.
‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.'”
Jim Lovell
“And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.”
Frank Borman
And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.’
And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas – and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.”
Here is the historic audio clip of the text above:
That happened 45 years ago today, when the Apollo 8 astronauts suddenly noticed the Earth “rising” over the lunar horizon. Despite all of the planning for the mission, this event was a complete surprise, and they scrambled to load color film and get cameras ready.
NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio has created a marvelous recreation of the event, using 3D modeling, original audio from the onboard recorder, and the actual photographs of the moment on December 24, 1968, when the astronauts on the Apollo 8 mission orbiting the moon were unexpectedly confronted with an “Earthrise” and worked together to snap some of the most viewed photography in history. This is an excerpt from the full public-domain video, narrated by the Apollo mission historian Andy Chaikin:
The full visualization is here.
In 2007, an HD camera aboard Japan’s Kaguya satellite videotaped earth ‘rising’ and ‘setting.’ Set to music by Peter Rundquist, the images bring home the lonely, extraordinary nature of this “pale blue dot.”
h/t to Andrew Revkin for that video
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“It took Christmas morning that started before dawn for me to start to feel again and I had to share with someone. Merry Christmas.”
My deepest sympathies, Snowsnake. I am humbled that you’re willing to share your deepest emotions with us at this time that must be both unspeakably sad and joyous for you, and hope today can begin your long healing process. God bless you in the coming years.
Wow, that really brought them out of the woodwork, didn’t it?
BTW if “by the US” you include US companies, the US can launch a chimp (or a human) into low earth orbit in whatever time SpaceX quotes for organising a Falcon 9/Dragon launch. You just need to accept lack of launch escape capability, which may not matter much after the first 30 seconds or so. The Falcon 9 has a perfect record so far.
@ur momisugly Barbara and Pamela — Do you think that it is mere coincidence that the only three commenters to respond to Snowsnake’s poignant sharing of his heart are female? I know, I know, sample size is too small, lol. Just intriguing to me.
As Christopher Monckton wisely pointed out in his essay, I will not say, here, “I believe X to be true about women and men,” only “I wonder… .”
Still more Earths. You’d think all they took were photos of Earth. 🙂
AS17-134-20461 (OF300) ( 76k or 568k )
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/AS17-134-20461.jpg
169:30:33 EVA-3 at the LM. First of a series Gene took from north of the LM. This excellent photograph shows a half Earth over the LM.
AS17-134-20462 (OF300) ( 116k or 692k )
169:30:33 EVA-3 close-out at the LM. Gene took this photograph from north of the LM, showing Jack at the Rover. The object leaning against the north strut is the SEP pallet. Geophone Rock is right of Gene and the ALSEP Central Station is near the righthand edge of the image. The South Massif (left) and (West) Family Mountain (left) are in the background.
AS17-134-20463 (OF300) ( 112k or 660k )
169:30:33 EVA-3 close-out at the LM. Excellent photograph of the Earth over the LM, showing a group of three-axis thrusters and the associated plume deflector. A view created with planetarium program Starry Night Deluxe shows how Earth would have looked with fewer clouds. Research by Ricardo Salamé.
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17earth16930.jpg
AS17-134-20464 (OF300) ( 68k or 544k )
169:30:33 EVA-3 close-out at the LM. Earth over the LM.
AS17-134-20465 (OF300) ( 72k or 712k )
EVA-3 at the LM. Earth over the flag.
AS17-134-20466 (OF300) ( 84k or 624k )
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/AS17-134-20466.jpg
169:30:33 EVA-3 close-out at the LM. Excellent photograph of the Earth over the U.S. flag.
Gerald:
How many times in an average day does someone point out that you’re a nutter?
“I always regarded the reading of Genesis by Apollo 8 to be one of the worst abuses of religious beliefs into scientific endeavour. Religion did not get them into lunar orbit, science and engineering did.”
Technically you’re right, but I bet religion helps when you have to climb on top of a Saturn V and fly outside the Van [Allen] belts with less physical protection than we usually accord to a tin of peas.
Janice and Snowsnake, it’s been three years since I lost a wonderful, close relationship and four years since I lost my dad. I have struggled to find my heart again. It seems that this go around, that may have changed. Have a blessed year.
“I always regarded the reading of Genesis by Apollo 8 to be one of the worst abuses of religious beliefs into scientific endeavour.”
Thanks, John A., for identifying yourself as this year’s (decade’s?) Grinch.
Merry Christmas to you, too.
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/AS17-134-20466.jpg
Another one where the lighting does not match the sun position indicated by the crescent of the Earth.
CodeTech
Coming from a guy and a website that supports one of the most hideous notion ever in the form of a ‘spinning moon’ I can comfortably live with insults thrown in my direction. While Tolstoy was correct ,the best observation of people impressed with themselves for no good reason has to be Edgar Allan Poe –
“than the persons thus suddenly elevated by the Hog-ian philosophy into a station for which they were unfitted — thus transferred from the sculleries into the parlors of Science — from its pantries into its pulpits — than these individuals a more intolerant — a more intolerable set of bigots and tyrants never existed on the face of the earth. Their creed, their text and their sermon were, alike, the one word ‘fact’ — but, for the most part, even of this one word, they knew not even the meaning. On those who ventured to disturb their facts with the view of putting them in order and to use, the disciples of Hog had no mercy whatever. All attempts at generalization were met at once by the words ‘theoretical,’ ‘theory,’ ‘theorist’ — all thought, to be brief, was very properly resented as a personal affront to themselves. Cultivating the natural sciences to the exclusion of Metaphysics, the Mathematics, and Logic, many of these Bacon-engendered philosophers — one-idead, one-sided and lame of a leg — were more wretchedly helpless — more miserably ignorant, in view of all the comprehensible objects of knowledge, than the veriest unlettered hind who proves that he knows something at least, in admitting that he knows absolutely nothing.” Poe
When you have as a ‘fact’ that the moon spins in addition to its monthly lunar circuit while all observers who have ever lived on this planet have never seen the far side of the moon apart from imaging from orbiters then take Poe’s commentary to heart for it really is knowing “absolutely nothing”,that goes from you all the way on up.
To Janice Moore (at 12:45 pm ):
;-p
Merry Christmas!
May God bless us all!
Anthony, moderators and others who write and contribute serious time to make WUWT not only possible but the most trusted climate site in the WWW.
Barbara
I am not a Grinch. The apparent rise of the Earth above the surface of the Moon by Apollo 8 is wonder enough – it does not need a religious commentary.
Interestingly Martin Gardner mentioned in one of his books that there was a special edition of Scientific American (I think) published years before on the question of whether the Moon rotates or not with battlelines and invective from both sides to boot. That edition must be rare now.
Whether the moon rotates depends on your frame of reference: from Earth it does not. From the moon it clearly does about every 27.5 days. If one was in one of those dark craters near the poles which never receives sunlight and took a long period exposure of the sky overhead, the familiar streaks of the stars indicating rotation would be clearly evidenced.
Those dark craters would make an excellent site for a telescope as well.
Rik Werme: “2) Give me a break on the stars. That and the “flapping” flag are the two most annoying and most debunked claims. These photos are shot at daylight exposures, the audio of the Earthrise video said they used 1/25th at f11. ”
You know every time I hear “debunking” I know someone needs to use language to fortify a claim that doesn’t stand on its own.
Despite your attempt as a technical reason why we can’t see stars in the these daylight exposed shots the other one you gave has stars (crank up contrast and brightness) and several nuances of blue for the sky.
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/AS17-152-23274.jpg
So the first flag shot that has just ONE pixel colour out of 8046 for the sky has been ‘shopped, as I said.
Janice Moore says:
December 25, 2013 at 12:45 pm (replying to)
Barbara Skolaut says:
December 25, 2013 at 1:07 pm
Pamela Gray says:
December 25, 2013 at 12:58 pm
Ne’er fear – Us engineer-science-focused-silent-but-deadly-analytical types DID read it, sympathize and empathize, but did not communicate either. Was it not obvious by our silence the compassion we felt? Heck, we all felt that emotion, but chose not to communicate a response. And, being engineers or science-by-trait, training, and attitude, if over distance we could not communicate by a hug or non-verbal but needed something else, then, well … one does not communicate. Silence is, sometimes, just something you put up with. Not being able to communicate with others is not a crisis, but – like a three year circumnavigation of the global, merely another problem (like scurvy or bad water and no toilets and no showers or clean clothes) to be put up with until it ends. Uncomunicated silence during troubles comes with the nature of the beast.
Ah, but such a vital difference is but a survival trait. An essential survival trait.
In a hunter-gatherer society with one part of the group staying in place with children a foot and at hand, those who were constantly talking and communicating survived! Those who the children could hear all the time, were survived by children who could hear the talk and chatter and could always return to their (mothers) safely and quickly A solo child in trouble and out-of-ear-shout would die earlier, and would not reproduce. A child with a silent mother died the more often that silent mother failed to talk or chatter. Worse, a bear, predator or even a competitor (wild hog, deer, snake, or rodent) for nuts and berries and fruit would NOT be scared by a silent mother, and thus the more silent the mother generally was, the more likely that (silent) mother would likely die earlier in life even if close to the home fires. A noisy, chattering bunch scares off both competitors and predators.
Now, in contrast, a chatty, talkative hunter scares off both predators they seek to avoid, AND the prey the hunters need to live; to survive one HAS to be swift, silent AND deadly. Rapid reactions, good eyesite, quick reflects, good strength, good endurance, longer arms and longer legs (faster, more capable distance) … More likely to survive AND bring food back to the tribe, to the family, and to the children. And, a well-fed, well-clothed, well-sheltered wife is a happy wife … equals more children in wife. Again, more likely to survive.
We wonder about instinct, and the evolutionists among us pass on onto “instinct” all sorts of survival traits. Rather, consider that what we call a simple “second thought” or “guardian angel” or “gut feeling” or …. is not exactly what the geese “feel” and why the trout returns to a location only when it must return just before dying to lay more eggs. Surely, IF psi or ESP or pre-cognition were really “exact” sciences or “very clear messages” then ONLY those who had those talents would be living now. That great an evolutionary advantage means after only three or four generations only those who had ESP or pre-cognition or psi-kinetic abilities would survive.
Rather, I would point out that – we all DO have those basic gut-level instincts to different degrees, and those who do not follow them (called Faith, reason, or merely survival as your choice) will not survive. Did not survive.
If your second thoughts say “Stay quiet, look around. Be careful. Do not run around that bush looking for berries” and you, in deed, do not walk around the bush and thus do not meet the grizzly bear, and do not fall down in of the startled bear; and, thus, you may survive one more day to have more children with that well-fed, warm, and well-sheltered but chatty and talkative wife back at the home cave.
Your buddy, drunk on fermented berries and too foolish to listen to his instincts DID walk around the bushes, DID run into the bear, DID stumble while trying to run away, and DID get eaten for that bear’s lunch.
That potential chatty, metro-sexual closet-decorator “hunter” tripping over his shoes and swishing through the berry trees? He’s is more likely to be left dead or starving back in the boondocks, impatiently waiting (while talking to himself) trying to figure out why there never is any deer around to go with his arugula lettuce to take home to his ugly, feminist-liking spousal partner who got rid of their last three children to buy another rug for the cave floor. If he were not killed by the other hunters first .. while looking for snipe in the nearest swamp at midnight.
Does the moon spin? Perform this simple exercise.
Stand facing some one at some convenient distance; now hold your right arm up and towards your friend at a 45 Deg angle with your index finger pointing at your friend and your thumb up. Looking at your thumb nail and holding your arm stationary with respect to your body rotate yourself 360 degrees. You as the earth only saw the thumb nail; however your friend as the sun saw all sides of your thumb. Can you see all sides of any object without rotating it?
Draw your own conclusion.
Merry Christmas and may the New Year provide another year of flat lining Data.
Skunk Works “Cheap Energy for All” solution: A series produced 100MW compact fusion reactor that runs on plentiful and cheap deuterium and tritium (isotopes of hydrogen). https://www.solveforx.com/moonshots/solve-for-x-charles-chase-on-energy-for-everyone
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Snowsnake says:
December 25, 2013 at 4:43 am
My spirit is like the chaos before the Creation and it feels like my essence is leaking out of my very pores. Yet, the birth of the Christ Child is like the first light that touches me and I feel tendrils of structure starting to reform within me.
(My father went similarly and yes…it is a spiritual chaos.)
God bless you, your festival of inner renewal, the promise of darkness passing, giving way to the new light. A spring of newness and faith.
Thanks! You gave us the message of the day.
“And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb” (Luke 1:41–42).
John A
I am going to do something original,I am going to show you pictures of the moon as it makes its monthly orbital circuit of the Earth hence the phases –
http://www.apstas.com/astrotas/Sayers/MoonPhases.jpg
If you can see the moon spin then you have that unique problem Galileo spoke about earlier in this thread and here is a continuation of his commentary as apparently the condition is now at a pandemic level in this era –
“I know; such men do not deduce their conclusion from its premises or establish it by reason, but they accommodate (I should have said discommode and distort) the premises and reasons to a conclusion which for them is already established and nailed down. No good can come of dealing with such people, especially to the extent that their company may be not only unpleasant but dangerous.” Galileo
The funny thing about all this is that fossil fuels will not be an issue in 100 years as alternative sources of energy will surface but future generations will inherit a mess none of you appear good enough to deal with for the simple reason none of you can handle this most basic interpretation of them all.
RA: I was raised by a man who could shoot the eye out of a chipmonk at 300 yds. And he had more stories than a dog has fleas. But he also would say no word to another man who had lost his wife. There is an unspoken word between such men.
Merry Christmas to everyone
Gerald Kelleher:
Nothing you have written in any way impinges or refutes on what I have said. If you are unable to parse English then communication is impossible between us.
Pamela Gray
What did your father have against chipmunk vision?
Here is what a spinning Earth looks like –
By the way,to give people an indication where this idea of human control over the planet’s temperature is going they can look at the few people who genuinely got uncomfortable with a ‘spinning moon’ 150 years ago where the objections got buried and it still remains mainstream policy despite landing people on the moon who can travel to the other side of the moon if they choose not to look at the Earth but cannot avoid the Sun due to the moon’s orbital motion.
http://books.google.ie/books?id=MfU3AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA27&dq#v=onepage&q&f=false
The next one is even more spectacular – the belief that there is one more rotation than there are days in the year,an offshoot of that uncomfortable position that ‘spinning mooner’ found himself in a century and a half ago.
Gerald,
If I put you on a geostationary satellite, then you would find that mysteriously the Earth has stopped rotating.
End of conversation