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Featured Image - 11/16/2010
Crescent Earth

During the Apollo Missions, the combined Command and Service Modules (CSM) orbited the Moon from east to west. The Command Module pilot witnessed Earth rise every two hours, while the Commander and Lunar Module Pilot explored on the surface. Imagine what the lone occupant of the CM felt as the Earth rose above the sharp lunar horizon!

Apollo 17 Command Module pilot Ron Evans steered the spacecraft to capture a crescent Earth rising over the eastern limb with the Metric camera. If you were on the Earth looking at the Moon when this picture was taken the CM would be just appearing near the equator to the East (just beyond Mare Crisium).

Click on the image below to view the movie sequence showing the Earthrise in your browser (if you have the Quicktime plug-in) or click on a link below to download (movie sequences is comprised of Metric frames AS17-M-2159 through AS17-M-2196).

Apple Quicktime (1012x1012, 30.3MB)

MPEG-4 (1012x1012, 15MB)

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Johnson Space Center Space Exploration Resources Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Explroation Lunar and Planetary Institue LPI

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