Blue Dot pays tribute to one of the most iconic photographs ever taken, Earthrise, taken by Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders on Christmas Eve, 1968. Anders passed away on June 7 in a plane crash while flying his vintage T-34 trainer off the coast of Washington.
Host Dave Schlom is joined by Apollo historian Andrew Chaikin, who did some amazing detective work that proved conclusively that it was Anders and neither of his crewmates, Commander Frank Borman, nor Jim Lovell. For many years, there was some ongoing controversy over who actually took the famous photograph.
In the program's second half, Dave is joined by our friend, retired NASA Flight Director Gerry Griffin, and Apollo 16 astronaut Brigadier General Charles Duke to talk about their good friend and colleague Bill Anders. Duke and Griffin reminisce about the life and personality of their friend and the tremendous impact that swept through Mission Control in Houston and around the world when humans first saw the Earth from the Moon.
Link to the digital recreation of the taking of the Earthrise photograph by Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
