Earthrise as seen from Apollo 11 as it approached its historic landing.
Wallpapers: 1024x768 Set 05
Managed to make the more common wallpaper size 1024x768 for the 14 most recent wallpaper posts (started with set 05 images, 1-4 to come). Download zip file here. Some were not produced as they just didn’t translate so easily into the format. However, the opposite is true in some cases such as for this image of the Martian south pole. Its resolution was hopelessly low for the larger landscape format, so now with the smaller size it was possible (just barely) to get it posted as a wallpaper.
Included in the set for download are the images pictured at the top and for the sake of google search, here they are listed out:
- 1024x768 Wallpaper of CALLISTO at half view, moon of JUPITER
- 1024x768 Wallpaper of EARTH from APOLLO landing site
- 1024x768 Wallpaper portrait of EUROPA, moon of JUPITER
- 1024x768 Wallpaper portrait of JUPITER
- 1024x768 Wallpaper of MARS region of DEUTERONILUS (not shown)
- 1024x768 Wallpaper of MARS surface at HUSBAND HILL
- 1024x768 Wallpaper portrait of MARS
- 1024x768 Wallpaper portrait of PHOEBE, moon of SATURN
- 1024x768 Wallpaper portrait of RHEA, moon of SATURN
- 1024x768 Wallpaper of SATURN, crescent view (not shown)
- 1024x768 Wallpaper of SATURN from above the NORTHERN POLE
- 1024x768 Wallpaper of SATURN globe
- 1024x768 Wallpaper of SPACE WALK
- 1024x768 Wallpaper portrait of TETHYS, moon of SATURN
Wallpaper: Space Walk
Ed White is the first American space walker, which took place on Mercury 7. Sadly, he later died on the ground in the tragic Apollo 1 flash fire which took place during a test run. The accident took the lives of 3 astronauts before Apollo even got off the ground.
Note: I erroneously labeled this wallpaper as Mercury 7 and not Gemini 4. Image has been corrected.
Image Note: Some of the Earth image at the far left has been extended in Photoshop to fill out the space. The original image was square.
First Image From Space
Contrary to popular belief, the first man-made object to enter space was not Sputnik. An amazing factoid considering that the space race was a major battleground in the Cold-War between the Soviets and America. Oddly, very little information about these first rockets into space can be found almost anywhere. One of the best references is this article from Air & Space magazine’s web site. The article is centers around the fact that, in addition to being one of the first man-made objects in space (the first was actually German!), the V2s also returned the first images of Earth from space. On October 24, 1946, a V2 rocket was blasted off from White Sands Missile Range and climbed about 65 miles straight up. There it began snapping images until minutes later it fell back to Earth with no parachutes. The cannister containing the camera was smashed, but luckily the film itself was unharmed and was later developed revealing to us Earthlings a glimpse of our own world from higher up than we had ever seen before.
While the above image is fascinating enough… that image was shot on V2 #13 and later experiments also took cameras along for the ride. Considering how long ago these were taken, another image from V2 #21 taken in 1947 is even more impressive in its detail and clarity.
Wallpaper: Looking Back at Earth
Trying to get some decent Apollo images on here from time to time. So many of these images are so often seen that I want to focus on the ones that really are great but are rarely seen.
Seeing the size of Earth as it really appears from the surface of the moon reminds me of this wallpaper that I grew up with in my room as a child. I always assumed it was an actual image, but in reality the Earth appears about 1/20 the size and Earth would never phase in shadow from north to south under any circumstance! (I missed that obvious flaw as pointed out by Paul Neave). I beleive they still sell this wallpaper as I still see it around occasionally at stores and other public spaces (no pun). In addition to this image, you also see the Earth from moon shots taken while in- moon-orbit which also gives the Earth a far larger appearance… but I suspect that some good zoom lenses were likely utilized to get those looks as well.