Image 8-2
Earth From Space

This view of the Earth photographed by Apollo 16 about one hour after trans-lunar injection on April 16, 1972. Although there is much cloud cover, the United States, most of Mexico and some of Central America are clearly visible. Note the Great Lakes (Michigan and Superior) and the Bahama Banks (note different shade of blue below Florida). While astronauts John W. Young and Charles M. Duke Jr. descended in the Lunar Module to explore the Descartes highlands region of the moon, astronaut Ken Mattingly II remained with the Command and Service Modules in lunar orbit.