The death in 1968 of Frank Borman, commander of NASA's Apollo 8 mission, focused attention on that astonishing first flight to the Moon.
This happened eight months before the Apollo 11 mission, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first explored the surface of the moon. However, the impact of Apollo 8's "Earthrise" image - viewing the Earth from the Moon - now appears greater than that of the first landing.
For many years, the story behind the famous Earthrise image was that the crew was surprised by the blue orb appearing from behind the moon.
Detailed research into NASA's archives revealed more clearly the extent of the planning behind these dramatic moments.
The famous "Earthrise" photo was improvised, but expected.
NASA
After entering lunar orbit, the crew almost missed sight of Earth. This was only noticed in the fourth orbit, when the capsule flipped 180 degrees forward. Bormann confirmed that at that moment they were "surprised - they were too busy observing the moon in the first three orbits."
But Apollo director of photography Dick Underwood was keen to set the record straight. “We spent hours with the lunar crews, including the Apollo 8 crew, briefing on exactly how to set up the camera,” he explained.
However, there have been battles within NASA over which images astronauts should focus on, with management insisting on shots of the moon's geology and potential landing sites.
"I fought hard for a shot of 'Earthrise,' and we were blown away by the astronauts," Dick Underwood explained.
Two other astronauts joined Borman on the mission: Jim Lovell, who was the command module pilot, and Bill Anders, who held the title of lunar module pilot. NASA intended for Apollo 8 to test the lunar module, but it was behind schedule so the mission did not take any testing.
At the pre-launch press conference, Borman was looking forward to getting "good views of the Earth from the Moon," and Lovell was looking forward to seeing "the Earth setting and rising."
The official mission plan directed astronauts to take pictures of Earth, but only as the lowest priority. When the decisive moment came, the astronauts were indeed surprised, but not for long.
Anders was standing at a side window taking pictures of the craters with a black-and-white film camera when he saw the Earth rising from behind the moon. “Here comes the earth,” Anders shouted.
Anders quickly snapped a snapshot of Earth appearing above the lunar horizon.
It was Anders who took the faded, hastily framed color shot of “Earthrise,” which was later dubbed the photo of the century. But in the other camera the shot was much better, and was ignored for a long time because it was in black and white.
How could the search for longer life be "catastrophic" for our planet?
For several years, scientists have sought to find ways to ensure a long life and healthy aging, which prompted technology giants to invest in companies aimed at reversing aging in innovative ways.
The world's technology leaders, such as Jeff Bezos and Sam Altman, are backing startups that work to reverse aging by making modifications to animal cells, which may seem like a wonderful new era of carefree living, but Dr. Stephen How, a philosopher at the University of Cambridge, He says that extending human life would be "absolutely catastrophic."
It is claimed that attempts to radically extend life will put huge pressure on Earth's resources, and could mean humanity's sooner extinction.
Dr. Cave and American philosopher John Martin Fisher have published a new book entitled “Should You Choose to Live Forever?”, which discusses whether “it is wise to desire immortality.”
Dr Cave told The Times: “Never before in human history has so much money and so much talent been spent trying to solve the problem of aging. And if you think the planet has already reached, or perhaps even exceeded, its carrying capacity for humans, “If you look at the destruction of biodiversity, the loss of habitats (ecosystems that create favorable conditions for an organism to exist or live naturally), climate change and so on, it is clear that this could be absolutely catastrophic.”
Dr Cave believes it is possible that the technology needed to extend human life will be so expensive that only the wealthy can afford it, leading to a "terrible scenario" where money could be the difference between life and death.
The expert leads the new Cambridge Institute for Technology and Humanity, which aims to explore how technological advances, including attempts to extend lifespan, affect society.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he stated: “I am not claiming that we should not work on life-extension technologies (or other technologies), but we are not ready for them currently. We must invest just as much in thinking about the consequences and ensuring that these "Transforms well, as does the technology itself."
It is noteworthy that billions of dollars are currently being pumped into anti-aging research. For example, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has invested in a company called Altos Labs, which wants to develop technology that can reverse the human aging process.
Atlos Labs has raised at least $270 million to look into the possibility of reprogramming cells to turn back the clock in animals, including humans.
Bezos has also invested in California company Unity Biotechnology, which is developing drugs that are said to cleanse the body of old and dying cells.
Meanwhile, this year, Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI, invested $180 million in Retro Biosciences, which aims to add 10 years to the lifespan of a healthy person.
Some experts believe that humans could become immortal early in the next decade, although this could be considered wishful thinking.
Ray Kurzweil, a former Google engineer, said that humans will achieve immortality in just eight years thanks to technology that can treat diseases.
According to Kurzweil, small nanobots (small robots that can enter the human body) will be able to repair damaged cells and tissues that deteriorate as the body ages, and make us immune to cancer and other diseases.
Earlier this year, scientists at Harvard University said that human lifespan could be extended with an anti-aging injection within five years. Their experimental treatment successfully regenerated cells in mice, helping them live longer and promoting heart and lung health.
It is hoped that the findings will lead to treating humans in the same way, enhancing their ability to resist disease by making them biologically younger.
Britain finding a treasure from the twelfth century dating back to the reign of King Stephen
An unnamed treasure hunter has found a rare collection of 12th-century silver pennies near the village of Wymondham in Norfolk, eastern England.
Аrkeonews indicates that the researcher found in the treasure cache seven coins that were minted during the reign of King Stephen, the predecessor of William the Conqueror, and two other coins dating back to the era of Stephen’s successors, Henry II and III. They were cut into quarters of pennies, along with two quarters of a penny dating back to the reign of Stephen. King Stephen.
It is noteworthy that Stephen, the grandson of William the Conqueror, ascended to the throne after the death of King Henry I. But he spent most of his reign in a bitter civil war with his rival for the throne, Henry's daughter Matilda.
Silver pennies dating back to the reign of King Stephen deserve special attention because these silver coins are among the very rare and difficult to obtain of all medieval coins.
It should be noted that in the 11th and 12th centuries, when money was scarce, almost pure silver pennies were cut into pieces of different sizes to "inflate" the money supply (put more money into circulation).
The coins currently found, despite their imperfect condition, are considered an unusually valuable discovery, because in the twelfth century during the reign of King Stephen, coins were not minted in large quantities.
Wow! Amazing!
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