Apollo 17

On December 7, 1972, during the Apollo 17 journey outbound to the moon, the iconic “blue marble” photo was taken at a point 29,000 kilometers from Earth. The image, number AS17-148-22727, is often credited to the entire crew (Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt), but it is believed that Schmitt is likely responsible for the photograph. The view shows the full globe, including the Mediterranean Sea, Africa and Antarctica, floating in the black of space. The photograph was taken with a Hasselblad 500 EL Data Camera, using a 80mm Zeiss lens. The picture captured the idea of an interconnected, unified, and vulnerable planet, and helped inspire a global campaign for conservation.