"The Apollo astronauts' photographs of Earth seen from the moon had a jolting effect on a society distracted by division and conflict, revealing our planet as a finite ball of rock."
"The creation of a special Earth Day soon followed, along with the founding of the campaigning environmental charity Friends of the Earth and the passing of a slew of environmental protection laws."
"Human spaceflight focused instead on observations of Earth from a series of space stations around 250 miles high; only a thousandth of the distance that Apollo's astronauts had seen it from."
"Instead of marvelling at the miracle of Google Earth, we have become complacent, with the images that once inspired a generation raising little emotion in us these days."
The Apollo astronauts' photographs of Earth from the moon shifted societal views, revealing the planet as a finite entity. This perspective contrasted with the everyday experience of limitless resources. The impact led to the establishment of Earth Day and environmental laws. Over time, human spaceflight has focused on lower altitudes, limiting the ability to appreciate Earth's fragility. Current technologies like Google Earth have led to complacency, diminishing the emotional response once evoked by the moon's view of Earth.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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