14K views · 407 reactions | #VantageReels: August 23, 1966: Lunar Orbiter 1 Takes Earth's First Picture From Moon's Orbit | #FPRewind On August 23, 1966, the Earth was photographed from the Moon’s orbit for the first time. The picture was transmitted back to Earth by NASA's unmanned spacecraft Lunar Orbiter 1. The spacecraft was primarily built to photograph smooth areas of the lunar surface to verify safe landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo missions. | Firstpost | Facebook

Before Apollo ever left Earth, a robotic probe called Lunar Orbiter 1 turned its camera toward home. What it saw was breathtaking — Earth, rising above the Moon’s horizon, floating alone in the darkness. Captured in August 1966, this was the first photograph of our planet from lunar orbit. A fragile world suspended in the void — half in sunlight, half in shadow. It wasn’t just a scientific achievement; it was a moment of realization. For the first time, humanity saw itself from afar… small, unit

In it for the long haul: NASA Moon's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is marking 15 years at the Moon, and NASA Mars' Mars Odyssey orbiter is about to surpass 100,000 orbits at the Red Planet! Such long-term observations allow us to observe changing dynamics at these worlds, and pave the way for human exploration. Ride along with LRO at science.nasa.gov/mission/lro/ and Odyssey at science.nasa.gov/mission/odyssey/ | NASA Solar System Exploration