PIX4630008: Comparison between the Earth, Ceres and the Moon - Ceres, Earth, & Earth's Moon compared - Comparison at the scale of the size of the Earth, the dwarf planet Ceres and the Moon. Ceres, the most massive object in the asteroid belt, is only 950 km in diameter. While Ceres is the most massive single object in the asteroid belt, it is yet quite small when compared with the Earth and moon / Bridgeman Images
PIX4633451: The Formation of the Earth and the Moon - Young Earth and Moon - The young Earth draped with thick clouds is illuminated by lightning and the reddish glow of volcanoes. Still surrounded by the remains of the primitive nebula, it will wait another 500 million years to cool sufisciously, form a solid crust and develop a primitive atmosphere. Top right is the Moon, still covered in molten lava. A young Earth is shrouded in turbulent, roiling clouds, while under the shadow of its night side can be seen flashes of lightning and the ruddy glow of volcanoes and lava fields illuminating the clouds from beneath. The space around the Earth is highlighted by remnants of the nebula from which the Solar System was born. On the upper right is the Earth's Moon whose lava - filled scars from massive impacts are still cooling. 500 million years after its molten birth the Earth's surface would have cooled enough for a solid crust to form, and gases delivered by comets and emissions from within would have contributed to the Earth's first, albeit primitive, atmosphere / Bridgeman Images
PIX4638850: Living in a lunar base - Illustration - Living in a lunar base - A young radio astronomer in a base near the southern pole of the Moon receives flowers sent from Earth as a welcome gift. A young radio astronomer stationed near the Moon's South Pole receives a welcome gift from Earth. Amid the techno-clutter of an office where livable real estate is at an extreme premium, this Selenite pauses to smell the flowers. Some day our great grandchildren may participate in the first long-term settlements on the Earth's Moon. Given the extreme hostility of the lunar environment - no atmosphere, no protection from the fierce solar wind or interstellar cosmic rays - such settlements are likely to be relatively small, enclosed environments and almost wholly dependent upon the Earth for sustenance / Bridgeman Images
PIX4638851: Exploring the Moon in the 21st Century - Illustration - Lunar exploration in the 21st century - Astronauts are preparing a rover teleguide to drill the surface of the Moon to find exploitable resources. In the background, a permanent habitat allowing astronauts to live several weeks in this hostile environment. Lunar prospectors prepare a remote-controlled rover for exploring and drilling into the regolith in search of exploitable resources. Immediately behind the prospectors is a self-contained habitat with room and resources enough to sustain four people for several weeks. On the left and nearer to the horizon is the landing craft that delivered the four prospectors to the moon's surface, and will later return them to lunar orbit to meet with an orbiting command ship or tug. The habitat is also a lunar lander that delivered itself autonomously prior to the arrival of the prospectors. This century will likely see our return to Earth's Moon / Bridgeman Images
PIX4638869: Spaceship Tug and Space Station - Artist's View - Trans-Lunar space tug and the International Space Station - A towing spaceship joins the International Space Station (ISS) to bring material to the Moon. A trans-lunar space tug departs the International Space Station (ISS)* in preparation for retrieving a lunar lander currently in Earth orbit. What might be mistaken for wings are in fact solar voltaic panels for converting sunlight into electricity, just like those that adorn the ISS. Over two hundred miles below is the Atlantic Ocean, the Canary Islands, and the west coast of Saharan Africa. Long clouds of dust can be seen blowing westward off Morocco. If advances in astronautical engineering continue and lunar exploration becomes a regular activity it may become cost-effective to place a dedicated space tug into permanent orbit. Such a craft could serve the same purpose as the Apollo Command Modules did in the 1970s - ferrying astronauts and lunar landers between Earth orbit and lunar orbit - with the exception that this space tug could make the trip multiple times. suggestion only / Bridgeman Images
PIX4596568: Apollo 12: Saturn V - Apollo 12 on launch pad - The Saturn V rocket on its fire pad. 28 October 1969. A nighttime, ground - level view of Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center (KSC) showing the Apollo 12 (Spacecraft 108/Lunar Module 6/Saturn 507) space vehicle, during the terminal phase of a Countdown Demonstration Test (CDDT). The crew of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) second lunar landing mission will be astronauts Charles Conrad Jr., commander; Richard F. Gordon Jr., command module pilot; and Alan L. Bean, lunar module pilot. The Apollo 12 launch has been scheduled for 11:22 a.m. (EST) on Nov. 14, 1969. 28 Oct 1969 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4596596: Apollo 12: the seismometer - Apollo 12: seismometer - Close up on the seismometer (PSE) installed on the Moon during the Apollo 12 mission. 19/11/1969. Passive Seismic Experiment (PSE), surrounded by its thermal skirt. The skirt protects the ground underneath the instrument from temperature swings as the Sun moves across the lunar sky. The Passive Seismic Experiment studied the propagation of seismic waves through the Moon and provided a look at the Moon's internal structure. The Central Station is in the background / Bridgeman Images
PIX4597078: Apollo 14: E. Mitchell on the Moon - Apollo 14: Edgar Mitchell beside the US flag - Astronaut Edgar Mitchell near the American flag. 05/02/1971. Astronaut Edgar D. Mitchell, lunar module pilot for the Apollo 14 lunar landing mission, stands by the deployed U.S. flag on the lunar surface during the early moments of the first extravehicular activity (EVA) of the mission. He was photographed by astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., mission commander, using a 70 mm modified lunar surface Hasselblad camera. While astronauts Shepard and Mitchell descended in the Lunar Module (LM) “” Antares”” to explore the Fra Mauro region of the moon, astronaut Stuart A. Roosa, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) “” Kitty Hawk””” in lunar orbit. Feb 5 1971 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4597079: Apollo 14: the LEM - Apollo 14 Lunar Module on the Moon. Feb 05 1971 - The lunar module of Apollo 14 on the Moon. 05/02/1971. Apollo 14 Lunar Module (LM) on the moon, as photographed during the first Apollo 14 extravehicular activity (EVA) on the lunar surface. The astronauts have already deployed the U.S. flag. Note the laser ranging retro reflector (LR - 3) at the foot of the LM ladder. The LR-3 was deployed later. While astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., commander, and Edgar D. Mitchell, lunar module pilot, descended in the LM to explore the moon, astronaut Stuart A. Roosa, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit / Bridgeman Images
PIX4597084: Apollo 14: laser reflector - moon - Apollo 14: View of the Laser Ranging Reflector. Feb 05 1971 - The Laser Ranging Reflector LR-3 which calculates the distance from Earth to Moon. 05/02/1971. A close - up view of the laser ranging retro reflector (LR3) which the Apollo 14 astronauts deployed on the moon during their lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA). While astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., commander, and Edgar D. Mitchell, lunar module pilot, descended in the Lunar Module (LM) to explore the moon, astronaut Stuart A. Roosa, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit / Bridgeman Images
PIX4597088: Apollo 14: the LEM - Apollo 14 Lunar Module on the Moon. Feb 05 1971 - Reflection of the Sun on the lunar module of Apollo 14 poses on the Moon. 05/02/1971. A front view of the Apollo 14 Lunar Module (LM), which reflects a circular flare caused by the brilliant sun, as seen by the two moon - exploring crew men (out of frame) of the Apollo 14 lunar landing mission during their first extravehicular activity (EVA). The unusual ball of light was said by the astronauts to have a jewel - like appearance. In the left background Cone Crater can be seen. In the left foreground are the erectable S - Band antenna and the United States flag. Astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., commander, and Edgar D. Mitchell, lunar module pilot, descended in the LM, while astronaut Stuart A. Roosa, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit / Bridgeman Images
PIX4597103: Apollo 14: laser reflector - moon - Apollo 14: View of the Laser Ranging Reflector. Feb 05 1971 - The Laser Ranging Reflector LR-3 which calculates the distance from Earth to Moon. 05/02/1971. A close - up view of the laser ranging retro reflector (LR3) which the Apollo 14 astronauts deployed on the moon during their lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA). While astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., commander, and Edgar D. Mitchell, lunar module pilot, descended in the Lunar Module (LM) to explore the moon, astronaut Stuart A. Roosa, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit / Bridgeman Images
PIX4597467: Apollo 16: J. Young on the Moon - Apollo 16: J. Young moonwalk - John Young collecting samples during the third and last extravehicular release. 23/04/1972. Astronaut John W. Young, Apollo 16 commander, with a sample bag in his left hand, moves towards the bottom part of the gnomon (center) while collecting samples at the North Ray Crater geological site. Note how soiled Young's Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) is during this the third and final Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA - 3, 23 April 1972). The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) is parked at upper left / Bridgeman Images
PIX4597482: Apollo 16: C. Duke on the Moon - Apollo 16: C.Duke at edge of a crater. Apr 21 1972 - Duke near a crater. 21/04/1972. This frame from John Young's Plum Crater pan shows Charlie as he moves to the south to examine some angular blocks. Stone Mountain is in the background / Bridgeman Images
PIX4597515: Apollo 16: crater Plum and LRV - Apollo 16: view of Plum crater with LRV - View of the crater Plum (40 km in diameter) and the lunar jeep. 21/04/1972. A view of Plum Crater, which was visited by the two Moon - exploring crew members of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission, on their first extravehicular activity (EVA - 1) traverse. The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) is parked on the far side of the crater, which measures approximately 40 meters in diameter / Bridgeman Images
PIX4597546: Apollo 16: J. Young drives the LRV - Apollo 16: John Young driving the LRV - John Young driving the lunar jeep (Lunar Rover Vehicle). 23/04/1972. (23 April 1972) The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) gets a speed workout by astronaut John W. Young in the “” Grand Prix”” run during the third Apollo 16 Extravehicular Activity (EVA 3) at the Descartes landing site. This view is a frame from motion picture film exposed by a 16 mm Maurer camera held by astronaut Charles M. Duke, Jr. While Astronaut's Young, commander, and Duke, lunar module pilot, descended in the Lunar Module (LM) “” Orion””” to explore the Descartes highlands region of the Moon, astronaut Thomas K. Mattingly II, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) “” Casper””” in lunar orbit / Bridgeman Images
PIX4597574: Apollo 16: C. Duke on the Moon - Apollo 16: Charles Duke salutes the US flag - Charles Duke salutes the American flag. 21/04/1972. Astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr., Apollo 16 lunar module pilot, salutes the United States flag during the mission's first extravehicular activity (EVA), on April 21, 1972. Stone Mountain reaches five - sixths across the photo in background. The Lunar Module (LM) and Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) are in the background. While John W. Young, commander and Duke descended in the LM to explore the Descartes region of the moon, Thomas K. Mattingly II, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit / Bridgeman Images
PIX4597586: Apollo 16: the LEM - View of the Apollo 16 Lunar Module on the lunar surface - The moon module “Orion” of the Apollo 16 mission poses on the Moon. 20/04/1972. View of the Lunar Module (LM) 'Orion' parked on the lunar surface. This view of the LM was photographed by astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr., the lunar module pilot, during the mission's first extravehicular activity (EVA - 1). Astronauts John W. Young, commander, and Duke had earlier descended in the LM to explore the Descartes region of the Moon, while astronaut Thomas K. Mattingly II, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) 'Casper' in lunar orbit / Bridgeman Images
PIX4597642: Apollo 16: Earth rise and control module - Apollo 16: Earthrise and command module - The control module of Apollo 16 in orbit, seen from the LEM, visible on the left horizon of the Earth. 21/04/1972. Pre - landing photo of Earthrise, with the Command Module visible just above the lunar horizon to the left of Earth / Bridgeman Images
PIX4597675: The command module of Apollo 16 seen from LEM - Apollo 16 Command and Service Modules seen from LM - The command module of Apollo 16, Casper, seen from LEM. 20/04/1972. The Apollo 16 Command and Service Modules (CSM), as seen from the Lunar Module (LM, out of view) above terrain on the lunar farside. The two spacecraft had just undocked. The LM and CSM were out of communication at the time of this photograph's exposure, but shortly acquired the signal as they moved separately to Earth's side of the moon. While astronauts John W. Young, commander; and Charles M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot, descended in the Apollo 16 LM “” Orion”” to explore the Descartes highlands landing site on the moon, astronaut Thomas K. Mattingly II, command module pilot, remained with the CSM “” Casper”” in lunar orbit. 20 April 1972 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4614527: The hidden face of the Moon and the Earth seen from DSCOVR. 07/2016 - Far side of the Moon with Earth seen from DSCOVR. 07/2016: This image obtained on July 5, 2016, the moon again passed between DSCOVR and the Earth. EPIC snapped these images over a period of about 4 hours. In this set, the far side of the moon, which is never seen from Earth, passes by. In the backdrop, Earth rotates, starting with the Australia and Pacific and gradually revealing Asia and Africa / Bridgeman Images
PIX4614538: The hidden face of the Moon and the Earth seen from DSCOVR. 07/2016 - Far side of the Moon with Earth seen from DSCOVR. 07/2016: This image obtained on July 5, 2016, the moon again passed between DSCOVR and the Earth. EPIC snapped these images over a period of about 4 hours. In this set, the far side of the moon, which is never seen from Earth, passes by. In the backdrop, Earth rotates, starting with the Australia and Pacific and gradually revealing Asia and Africa / Bridgeman Images
PIX4614575: The sun, which is still below the horizon, lies nearly straight below the moon here, as can be seen by the orientation of the moon's “” horns””, the tips of the crescent. The “” dark”” side of the moon is visible from Earthshine, the sun's light reflected back from the Earth. The thin crescent is visible, seen here just one day before new moon, brilliantly illuminated by the direct sun -: Cinderella Moon - Earthshine / Bridgeman Images