The first photographs of the Earth to be taken from outer space are said to have had a
profound influence on how humanity perceives its place in the Universe. They provided a
true visual representation of the broad sweep of the planet we inhabit and how little of it
each of us has explored, and, perhaps more importantly, set against the vastness of the
cosmos they gave a sense of the vulnerability of this tiny spherical piece of rock. The
significance of these images results above all else from the difficulty which humans have in …