1960s Gallery

Earthrise photograph, artwork

Earthrise photograph. Artwork based on the famous Earthrise photographs taken by the Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman and William Anders. The photographs were taken as Apollo 8 orbited the Moon on 24 December 1968. This artwork is based on the black-and-white photograph taken by Borman. A few minutes later, Anders took a colour photograph. The Earthrise photographs are considered to be among the most influential ever taken, inspiring greater understanding of the Earth's environment, set here against the blackness of space, and the barren surface of the Moon

© RICHARD BIZLEY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Blue Anchor Station, c.1960

Road traffic vehicles, including a Western national bus, are taking a priority in this image from about 1960. The level crossing by Blue Anchor station allowed traffic to the beach just out of shot in this image. 4300 Mogul Class locomotive, number 6398, is seen sat at the station

© STEAM Museum of the GWR

1960s, 4300, 6398, Blue Anchor, Bus, Level Crossing, Mogul, Signal Box, Somerset, Station, Western National

First US manned space flight, 1961

First US manned space flight, 1961. Redstone rocket launching the Freedom 7 capsule into space on 5th May 1961. This mission (Mercury-Redstone 3) launched Alan Shepherd into space as part of the Mercury program, making him the first US astronaut to travel into space, and the second person worldwide after Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin - who had made his flight in April of that year. Shepherd's flight lasted less than 16 minutes, reaching a height of 187 kilometres. Unlike Gagarin, Shepherd did not orbit the Earth. Photographed on 5th May 1961, at Launch Complex 5 (LC-5), Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA

© NASA/VRS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY