The Earthrise is something that leaves astronauts breathless.
Unfortunately not many people will be able to see this one firsthand, but even high resolution images of the Earth from outer space can be pretty breathtaking. Satellite photos are appreciated for their aesthetic value now.
The first photograph of Earth from outer space is a grainy black-and-white taken by a 35 millimeter movie camera in 1947 [source: Reichhardt]. Even this captivated researchers, but the rocket that flew the camera into space was unmanned.
When Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to fly into outer space 14 years later, his post flight description was this:
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