On this day in 1972, the Apollo 17 crew snapped this photograph, later dubbed "The Blue Marble."

On this day in 1972, the Apollo 17 crew snapped this photograph, later dubbed "The Blue Marble."

Dec 7th 2013, 22:07, by Robert Sorokanich

On this day in 1972, the Apollo 17 crew snapped this photograph, later dubbed "The Blue Marble." Photographed using a 70-millimeter Hasselblad camera with an 80-millimeter Zeiss lens, and credited to all three Apollo 17 astronauts (Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans and Jack Schmitt), this rare image of a fully-illuminated Earth has become one of the world's most recognizable photographs. No human has since traveled far enough into space to see such a full view of earth, though similar shots have since been taken by unmanned spacecraft. [NASA History Office; image: Wikimedia]
Read more...