Satellite Snaps Earth's Photo From Mars

Associated Press ^ | 5/22/2003 | ANDREW BRIDGES

[anymouse]

NASA on Thursday released what it billed as the first portrait of Earth as seen from Mars.

The colorized photograph shows Earth from 86 million miles away as a small blue dot orbited by its even smaller moon.

The keen-eyed can make out clouds over the central and eastern United States and northern South America, as well as portions of Central America and the Gulf of Mexico, in a specially processed blowup of the image.

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft took the picture while orbiting the Red Planet on May 8.

"This image gives us a new perspective ... one in which we can see our own planet as one among many," said Michael Malin, whose San Diego company built and operates the camera. Jupiter can also be seen in the picture.

NASA said the portrait was unprecedented — but not for lack of trying.

The agency's Pathfinder spacecraft tried several times to photograph Earth after reaching Mars in 1997 but was thwarted by cloudy skies.

Images of Earth from space have been among the most compelling images produced by NASA missions.

Apollo 8 began orbiting the moon on Dec. 24, 1968, becoming the first manned mission to do so. During a live Christmas Eve television broadcast, the three-man crew took turns reading from the book of Genesis and showing images of the Earth as it rose above the moon.

And in 1990, as NASA's unmanned Voyager 1 spacecraft reached the fringes of the solar system, it turned back to take a final look at Earth at the suggestion of astronomer Carl Sagan. The image, taken from 4 billion miles away, inspired the title of Sagan's 1994 book "A Pale Blue Dot."

"Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives," Sagan wrote.

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On the Net: http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2003/05/22

[anymouse]

Cool space image.

[anymouse]

Space ping

[hedgetrimmer]

Very nice picture. Thanks for posting.

[Brandybux]

What I want to know is who put those humongous signs out there in space? I mean, those things are huge!!! Even if they're pretty close to Mars, they're still huge, but if they're any distance at all .... well, gosh.

[Porterville]

makes your heart flutter.

[jwfiv]

Here's a similar pic, taken from closer in, through the lens of the outward bound probe Gallileo, back in the 80s, I think.

[jwfiv]

Here's one from the Voyager spacecraft...

[Sloth]

Hey, I can see my house!

[MHGinTN]

What a beautiful place for life, so much water, so many species. An Eden Garden, don'tcha know!

[noutopia]

Beautiful planet,but infested with RATS.

[MHGinTN]

PETA and the Greenies would say the planet is infested with humans!

[farmfriend]

ping

[baseballfanjm]

Photos of Earth from other planets are cool and all, but nebulas are what its at. Actually, I'm terrified of nebulas. I've had nightmares about them, no kidding. But they're really cool nonetheless.

[jlogajan]

I think you're suffering from a "brain cloud."

[July 4th]

During a live Christmas Eve television broadcast, the three-man crew took turns reading from the book of Genesis

Wow, just think about the chances of someone doing that again today.

[Carry_Okie]

Boing!

[farmfriend]

[baseballfanjm]

LOL, I knew it wouldn't be long before I fell victim to a Free Republic pun.

[MeekMom]

aptly put

[RadioAstronomer]

Thaks for the ping. I know a few of the folks flying that mission. :-)