MICHAEL COLLINS [APOLLO 11]

This outstanding view of a full moon was photographed from the Apollo 11 spacecraft during its transcarth journey homeward. When this picture was taken the spacecraft was already 10,000 nautical miles away. Aboard Apollo 11 were Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr.

“It really does appear that there are three different Moons. One that you’re on, one that you’re in orbit of, and one that’s a long way away. And they don’t blend, and you don’t get the transition. There was only one exception to it, and that was shortly after we left the Moon, heading back to Earth, after we made the burn and it was okay. Then we could orient and look back and watch it grow smaller, from the back side... And that was the only time when we were really allowed to experience the change,” said Buzz Aldrin (Chaikin, Voices, p. 119).