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After 50 Years, Apollo 8's "Earthrise" Continues To Inspire

"Earthrise" taken by the crew of Apollo 8, 1968. Photo: NASA
"Earthrise" taken by the crew of Apollo 8, 1968. Photo: NASA

Fifty years ago today, Frank Boreman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders launch from the Kennedy Space Center atop a Saturn V rocket on humanity’s first mission to the moon.

The trio was the first to leave Earth's orbit and see the Earth as a whole planet. Three days later, when they arrived at the moon, the crew could see the earth rise above the lunar surface

Anders snapped a photo, now known as Earthrise, which is called one of the most influential environmental photographs ever taken. The Apollo 8 mission paved the way for future lunar landing missions, too.

Now, a group of retired astronauts are remembering the mission, and the photograph, and using it as a tool to inspire future generations of explores.

Retired NASA Astronaut Nicole Stott joins the podcast to talk about the significance of the image and how her new program Constellation is inspiring others to view the planet from a different perspective.

Brendan covers space news for WMFE, everything from rocket launches to the latest scientific discoveries in our universe. He hosts WMFE's weekly radio show and podcast "Are We There Yet?" which explores human space exploration. Brendan is a native Floridian, born and raised in Broward County. He moved to Central Florida in 2005 to attend the University of Central Florida. He began working at WMFE as a college intern where he discovered his love for public radio.