In Space, No One Remembers Your Baby Steps

There are lots of pictures nowadays of the Earth as seen from space, but don't sleep on this first, grainy offering:

The first static test firing of a V-2 rocket at White Sands took place on March 15, 1946, with the first launch following on April 16. Teams launched a total of 67 V-2 rockets until the last flight on Sept. 19, 1952, the program meeting with mixed success. Of note, the Oct. 24, 1946, flight carried a 35-millimeter camera that recorded the first images of Earth from space, from an altitude of 65 miles, clearly showing the curvature of the planet. Other V-2 rockets carried instruments that took the first solar ultraviolet spectrograms above the Earth’s ozone layer, brought back air samples, and made cosmic ray measurements. On the other hand, a V-2 launched on May 29. 1947, veered off course and crashed near Juarez, Mexico, fortunately causing no damage or injuries.

Our first tentative steps into the shallows of our cosmic ocean began much earlier than people generally remember.  This is a mere 43 years after Orville and Wilbur flew a few feet in the sands of North Carolina.  43 years after that, we returned to orbit post-Challenger, still taking in the view, with better cameras and a continuing sense of awe.

Selah.