Astronauts Recall View Before Earth Day

This Dec.1972 photo released by NASA shows a view of the Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew while traveling toward the Moon. Only two dozen men, those who traveled to the Moon, have had the full Earth view. Most U.S. spaceflights have been in low orbit, where only a piece of the Earth can be seen, a lesser but still impressive glimpse.The photograph extends from the Mediterranean Sea area, top, to the Antarctica South polar ice cap, made visible for the first time by the Apollo trajectory. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center) (AP)

NASA's database of astronaut photos of Earth: http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop/clickmap/

NASA biographies of astronauts quoted:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/aldrin-b.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/anders-wa.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/collins.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/glenn-j.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/lovell-ja.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/schirra-wm.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/scott.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/sullivan-kd.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/williamsj.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/williams-s.html

Anousheh Ansari's biography: http://www.anoushehansari.com/about.php