221. [Apollo 10] CRESCENT EARTH FLOATING IN THE VASTNESS OF SPACE, SEEN FROM THE HOMEWARD-BOUND SPACECRAFT John Young, Eugene Cernan or Thomas Stafford, 18-26 May 1969 Printed 1969. Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based GAF paper [NASA image AS10-27-3984]. With NASA caption numbered "AS10-27-3984" on the reverse (issued by NASA Marshall Space Flight Centre, Huntsville, Alabama). 25.4 x 20.3 cm. (10 x 8 in.) Historical context A marvellous crescent Earth, captured through the 250mm telephoto lens from approximately 166,000 km away in deep space. The western part of North America is visible along the terminator. While taking this picture, the crew remarked: 176:44:21 Young: You're definitely getting larger in diameter there, Earth. 176:44:29 McCandless: Roger. We understand you see us growing larger. We can't see you yet with the naked eye, but hope to tomorrow. We're showing you about 90,000 miles [166,700 km] out at the present time. 176:44:46 Stafford: Roger. Got a beautiful view here of the Earth. It seems like there is a little - from here like a cumulus thunderstorm up on the cloud cover that covers up near the polar ice cap. It really is beautiful, the way it stands out. We got a couple of pictures of it. Over. "You can look back on the Earth and see from pole to pole and across oceans and continents, and you can watch it turn and see there are no strings holding it up, and it's moving in a blackness that is almost beyond comprehension. The Earth is surrounded by blackness though you're looking through sunlight. There is only light if the sunlight has something to shine on. When the Sun shines through space it's black. All because the light doesn't strike anything. The light doesn't strike anything, so all you see is black." —Eugene Cernan (Kelley, plate 53)