This is an amazing story
It is as old as the Scriptures and is as clear as the human soul.
It reflects the brilliance of life itself, as well as the mystery and wonderment of our planet.
It is the story of the most famous photo ever taken and of one the greatest moments in exploration.
You see, this is the story of Christmas Eve, 1968, the Big Bang, Mother Earth, and most famous photo ever taken.
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I’ve never like Christmas. I found it to be exclusionary.
So when I was editing Sunday Talk I wanted to post a X-mas story that would unify the irreligious and all faiths.
But then I decided to post this on Earth Day. What better day. Obviously the Big Bang and the creation of our planet occurred at some point in time, and since we do not know when, why not commemorate Earth’s birth on April 22nd -- it’s as good as any other date.
It may seem odd now, but forty years ago, the USA and CCCP actually engaged in a race to see who could first land on the moon.
On December 21, 1968, the United States launched three hardened Fighter pilots in Apollo VIII, in man’s first direct human exploration of the Moon.
After traveling three days in space, and after years of training, the Astronauts became the first humans to EVER make contact with the moon, as their space capsule orbited only miles above the moon.
But then something unplanned happened.
Instead of reveling the wonder of the extraterrestrial event, they became mesmerized with their home planet rising over the Moon’s horizon.
As funny as this sounds, no one had ever seen plant Earth, before. No one knew what it looked like. This was the first time.
Frank Borman, Apollo 8 Astronaut: The moon was a terribly distraught landscape, it was the most awe-inspiring moment of the flight when we looked up and there, coming over the lunar horizon, was the Earth. It was the only object in the universe that had any color to it, basically blue with white clouds. And everything we held dear was back there. It was a long way away.
Andrew Chaikin: He took the picture that became probably the most famous picture of the decade if not one of the most famous of the century, of the Earth rising beyond the moon.
And that is still the picture that really sums up the electrifying experience of that flight, that here were human beings who had taken a monumental step away from home.
And Anders came to the realization, even during the flight, you know, "My God, we've come all this way to study the moon and its really the sight of the Earth that has had the most impact. It's almost as if we're discovering the Earth for the first time."
Walter Cronkite: That blue disk out there in space, floating alone in the darkness, the utter black of space, it reflected the brilliance of life itself on our planet and brought to mind all of the wonders of our life here and also said to us, how is it possible for humans to live on this incredible island and, and live in enmity instead of an understanding of the brotherhood of all of us there, alone together in the universe?
Then on Christmas Eve the crew of Apollo VIII made a live broadcast as they glided into Earth's view:
Apollo 8: For all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message 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 called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Andrew Chaikin: The thing about Apollo that sets it apart from every other event in the history of exploration is that human beings could share in the event as it was happening. We felt the awe and wonder that these three men were experiencing so far from their home planet. Look at the step we were taking and in that moment they were touching base with the most fundamental narrative we have, the creation story.
Apollo 8: And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters he called these Seas; and God saw that it was good.
Jerry Bostick: I've never seen this place so quiet. There was a big hush in here, and tears in a lot of eyes. It was just the perfect thing to do at the perfect time.
Apollo 8: 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.
Walter Cronkite: Well, quite a finish for this last transmission from the moon from Apollo 8, from their television cameras there 230,000 miles from Earth, some 70 miles above the surface of the moon.
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► Here's the complete, tear-jeaking moment. Runs 6 minutes.
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► Astronaut Jim Lovell (portrayed in the movie Apollo 13, by Tom Hanks) with President Lyndon Johnson.