It’s nearly 60 years since we first got to actually see our blue marble from afar. Not in some geography book as a painting, not in the form of a VFX shot in a Hollywood movie. But as an actual color photo clicked by an astronaut from space. Taken by William Anders during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, this iconic photo set the earth against its nearest neighbor, the moon.
It’s a perspective mankind had never seen before, a photo that looked at the earth from the moon rather than the other way around. It’s a perspective that’s still etched into a lot of memories… and now this LEGO set turns it into a brilliant visual cast in plastic bricks. Built by LEGO creator BuildingDreams, this rendition was designed to be hung on your wall as you admire its sheer beauty. Under 900 bricks come together to celebrate one of mankind’s true milestones… but let’s just also take a second to appreciate just how gorgeous this build looks, even on its own.
Designer: BuildingDreams
This is the year 1968, a year before the famed moon landing. The Apollo 8’s mission was to do a mere lunar orbit without a touchdown, and William Anders, a scientific crew member and photo enthusiast, took this photo on his Hasselblad 500 EL – the first ever color photo taken of the earth from space. The name Earthrise came from the fact that it looked like the Earth was rising from the surface of the moon, quite like the sun rises in Earth’s sky. The photos played a pivotal role in helping with the research that then put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon in the following year.
This rendition stands at 48cm tall and 32 cm wide (1.5″ x 1″), and comprises 859 pieces. That might sound like a lot but it’s actually a fairly conservative amount, given that a lot of these bricks help convey the details of the artpiece. The black void of space, the cloud-filled blue marble we call home, and our fair friend, the moon, with its mottled, cratered surface.
“Earthrise is designed to be as close to the real photo as you can get in Lego, with its classic bright art print style and with a simple and striking frame and detailing that will look great on any wall. This build is perfect for anyone who loves space and history and wants to celebrate such a unique part of our history,” says Building Dreams.
Although not an official kit yet, Earthrise is currently gathering eyeballs on the LEGO Ideas forum, a website where people contribute their fan-made builds and vote for their favorites. If this build hits the 10k vote mark, it gets sent to LEGO’s internal team for an official review before being turned into a box set. If you want to see that happen, head down to the LEGO Ideas website and cast your vote for this MOC (My Own Creation)!
The post Apollo 8’s “Earthrise” Photo Just Became A LEGO Ideas Set, Nearly 60 Years Later first appeared on Yanko Design.