Stewart Brand - NASA Image of Earth

NASA Image of Earth

In 1966, Brand campaigned to have NASA release the then-rumored satellite image of the entire Earth as seen from space. He distributed buttons for 25 cents each asking, "Why haven't we seen a photograph of the whole Earth yet?" He thought the image of our planet might be a powerful symbol. In 1968 a NASA astronaut took the photo and in 1970 Earth Day began to be celebrated. During a 2003 interview, Brand explained that the image "gave the sense that Earth’s an island, surrounded by a lot of inhospitable space. And it’s so graphic, this little blue, white, green and brown jewel-like icon amongst a quite featureless black vacuum." During this campaign Brand met Richard Buckminster Fuller, who offered to help him in his projects.

Read more about this topic:  Stewart Brand

Famous quotes containing the words nasa, image and/or earth:

    If we did not have such a thing as an airplane today, we would probably create something the size of NASA to make one.
    H. Ross Perot (b. 1930)

    True revolutionaries are like God—they create the world in their own image. Our awesome responsibility to ourselves, to our children, and to the future is to create ourselves in the image of goodness, because the future depends on the nobility of our imaginings.
    Barbara Grizzuti Harrison (b. 1941)

    But countless plagues wander among men; for earth is full of evils, and the sea is full.
    Hesiod (c. 8th century B.C.)