Apollo 11 moon landing – Nasa reveals stunning NEW photos from lunar surface to celebrate mission’s 50th anniversary
NASA has released previously unseen panorama images of Apollo landing sites, highlighting a landscape once described by Buzz Aldrin as "magnificent desolation".
The images were created to celebrate today's 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
The panoramas serve as a bold reminder of an alien world that just 12 humans have ever set foot on.
All of the images were taken by Apollo astronauts, and handed over to Nasa imagery specialist Warren Harold.
These images were then "stitched together" to create stunning panoramas that show the barren lunar landscape.
The accuracy of the images was then verified by Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison 'Jack' Schmitt, who remains the only geologist to walk on the Moon.
Describing one image, Schmitt said: "The Valley of Taurus-Littrow on the Moon presents a view that is one of the more spectacular natural scenes in the Solar System.
"The massif walls of the valley are brilliantly illuminated by the Sun, rise higher than those of the Grand Canyon, and soar to heights over 4,800 feet on the north and 7,000 feet on the south.
"At the same time, the summits are set against a blacker than black sky – a contrast beyond the experience of visitors from Earth.
"And, over the South Massif wall of the valley, one can always see home: the cloud-swirled blue Earth, only 250,000 miles away."
You can find the full album of images .
The new images were created to honour the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
US astronauts blasted off from Earth towards the Moon on July 16, 1965.
And on July 20, space heroes Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the lunar surface.
Apollo 11 mission – the key facts
Here's what you need to know...
- Apollo 11 is the name for the mission that landed the first two people on the Moon
- The spaceflight was manned by Command Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin, both Americans
- They landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969 and 8.17pm UTC
- Armstrong became the first person to set food on the lunar surface six hours later
- He was then joined by Aldrin a further 19 minutes later
- The pair spent roughly two hours and 15 minutes together outside the spacecraft, collecting lunar material to bring back to Earth
- And in total, they spent 21.5 hours on the lunar surface before rejoining the command module Columbia in lunar orbit
- Armstrong's first step onto the lunar surface was broadcast live on TV to the world
- He famously described the moment as "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"
Some of the panorama images in this article have been cropped to fit the page.
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Do you think you'll ever get the opportunity to travel to the Moon? Let us know in the comments!
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