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10 Apollo Mission Photos You Need to See to Believe

For the first time ever, NASA has released more than 8,000 photos from the Apollo missions for public viewing on Flickr. If you don't have time to scroll through hundreds of boring very scientific crater pictures, you're in luck!  We rounded up the top 10 photos you have to see.

Is It Still Called a Sunrise?

Is It Still Called a Sunrise?

You'll see hundreds of sunrises in your time, but you'll never see it quite like this. This photo of the sun shining down on Earth from space was taken during Apollo 11 in 1969.

Pure Awe-some

Pure Awe-some

Here we see astronaut Walter M. Schirra, Jr. enjoying the magnificent scenery of space with a look of awe during Apollo 7 in 1968. This was the first human spaceflight mission carried out by the Apollo program, so we don't blame Walter for enjoying the view!

One Giant Selfie for Mankind

One Giant Selfie for Mankind

In this photo, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are exploring the moon for the first time during Apollo 11. If you look closely at the pimpin' gold sun visor, you'll notice the reflection of the astronaut taking the photo. The coolest mirror selfie ever? We think so.

A Long Way From Home

A Long Way From Home

This mindblowing photo was taken as Apollo 8 orbited the moon in 1968. Here you can clearly see the Earth as it peeks over the horizon of the moon, which isn't exactly something you see every day. Unless, of course, you're an alien chilling on the moon.

Touchdown!

Touchdown!

This photo depicts the lunar module as it lands on the moon for the first time during Apollo 11. The astronauts taking these photos were seeing the moon like no one had ever seen it before!

Murica!

Murica!

We can't say for sure, but it's likely that the astronauts yelled "Murica!" right after planting this flag during Apollo 11. (Not that anyone could hear them in the cold vacuum of space, but it's patriotic nonetheless!)

Still There! Murica!

Still There! Murica!

Four months after the flag was first planted on the moon, this photo was taken during Apollo 12. Judging from the shadow, we'd sent our biggest astronaut out there in case someone had dared to replace this symbol of American pride. Sure enough, everyone else was scared off.

Dare Ya to Look Over the Edge!

Dare Ya to Look Over the Edge!

What makes this Apollo 15 photo unique is that it shows how large the craters on the moon can get. This gives us a great idea of the massive size, with the astronaut in this image being dwarfed by the large lunar ridge in the background.

Not All Fun and Games

Not All Fun and Games

This astronaut perfroming a spacewalk during Apollo 17 proves that it's not all fun and games outside of Earth's atmosphere. Clearly he's hard at work, making sure the United States can learn as much as possible about space and the moon. He's also glad that he didn't watch the movie Gravity before going out there...

Our Last Visit

Our Last Visit

This photo is from Apollo 17,  the last visit humans made to the moon. You can see a lunar rover, an astronaut, and the American flag, but also so much more: footsteps of every astronaut who made the history are imprinted on the surface forever. Who knows—maybe the next generation of lunar explorers will be inspired by this incredible batch of NASA photos!