As USA Moon Return Imminent, Historical Impact of First Apollo Images Considered
With NASA working toward Artemis 3 human Moon landing hopefully NLT 4 July 2026, images of the first woman and person of color on the Moon, as well as Astronomy from the Moon images set to be taken via robotic commercial missions, may have societal influence comparable to iconic Apollo 8 Earthrise, which University of Central Lancashire historian Robert Poole argues was even more impactful than the Apollo 11 Moon landing; In article on ‘Image of the Century’, Poole recounts tension within NASA over viewing targets (lunar landscape vs Earth) and desire of crew to commemorate event with Frank Borman signing off ‘Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you – all of you on the good Earth’