The Earth

About 80 years ago, it was possible for the first time to confirm what modern science had suggested for centuries: Earth shows its sphericity based on a curved horizon. The following age of space flights opened other opportunities. First, our home planet could be observed from low Earth orbits, and then, a while later, even from the distance of the Moon. Interplanetary space flights even shifted our perspective out into the universe. Images sent back from many spacecraft showed how Earth and its Moon are part of the solar system.

This book is a journey away from Earth, but always looking back at it. The journey starts with balloon flights reaching the stratosphere, followed by the tedious attempts to reach space. When space flight in low Earth orbits had been achieved, frequent unmanned and manned missions covered that region. Further milestones reached geostationary orbit and the Moon. Interplanetary missions allowed us to become acquainted with large parts of the solar system. They showed us how unique our home planet Earth is. A photo from a distance of 6 billion kilometers, the famous “pale blue dot,” always reminds us of this fact.

The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence. The author has subsequently revised the text further in an endeavour to refine the work stylistically.