The Grand Food Bargain

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B

efore Neil Armstrong could take his “one giant leap for man-

kind,” the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

(NASA) needed to confirm that a manned spacecraft could

break free of the Earth’s gravitational pull, orbit the Moon, and suc-

cessfully return home. This was Apollo 8 ’s mission, and from launch to

splashdown, NASA had meticulously planned every minute of flight.

On Christmas Eve  968 , as the spacecraft started circling the Moon,

the three men aboard became the first humans to see the Moon’s dark

side with their own eyes. Per the detailed flight schedule, the crew would

orbit the lunar surface nine more times before starting the long journey

back. But just as Apollo 8 emerged from the Moon’s far side the fourth

time, still outside radio contact with mission control, Commander Frank

Borman unexpectedly noticed something not written down on the flight

schedule—the Earth rising above the Moon’s horizon.

Instantly, the men scrambled for cameras and color film to take

pictures through a still-clear window before the moment and image

were lost forever. The most famous photo they took is called Earthrise.

In the foreground is the craggy, black-and-white lunar surface. In the

background, surrounded by total darkness, is a round, bluish globe

Chapter 12 To Lead or Be Led?

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.

— Leo Tolstoy

Kevin D. Walker, The Grand Food Bargain: And the Mindless Drive for More,

DOI 10.5822/ 978-1-61091-948-7_12, © 2019 Kevin D. Walker.