We may question the necessity for going to space, but these images alone should show you just how far we’ve come in less than a century because we did. Back when space exploration was in its infancy, the concept of seeing the Earth from outer space was relegated to the realm of fictional writing. We had greats like Verne, Asimov, and Clarke describe unimaginable worlds that are coming true today. Science fiction enthusiasts gorged on these books that took us to the outer reaches of our imagination.
Now, we have space agencies from around the world who are showing us just what we’re capable of if we’re allowed to stretch our minds as far as we can. But what brought reality into focus was simple photography. Here’s a comparison of space photography from 1949 to 2012. Pretty incredible, right?
So, let’s support our sciences. There’s a whole universe waiting to be discovered. And find out more about some prophets of science fiction on Discovery.
Then – 1946 – First photo of the Earth from Outer Space (taken by a satellite launch from White Sand Missile Range by the Applied Physics Laboratory):
Now – 2012 – JAEA Astronaut Aki Hoshide at work on the International Space Station (check out the details on NASA’s 2Explore Flickr):
Once again… Reddit
