based upon the issue of being 22 when these sorts of shots began, (1) you aren’t as old as you like to claim, (2) I’m older, LOL
I was 22 in 1969, and I’m 65 now. I wasn’t counting the Russians’ shots of the far side of the moon, but rather our landing on it.
You’re right, though. The Russians could take earth-from-space pictures from ‘59 on, not that we got to see any of them back then that I recall.
But I’m old, and I forget stuff.