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Heroes

Over 8,000 photos taken by astronauts going to the moon just dropped. These 14 will get you started.

Well, this is just cool.

Over 8,000 images taken by astronauts on their trips to the moon just dropped online thanks to the Project Apollo Archive, NASA, and Kipp Teague.

Here are 14 of them.

They're out there. Literally. But there's something about them that's just so human ... they kinda remind me of some pictures I've taken (albeit not on the moon).

Here are some of my favs.

1. Classic Earthrise!

This one was taken on a lunar orbit mission. There are so many photos of the Earth rising over the moon in the archive, it's adorable. You can almost FEEL the awe through the camera! Is there anyone who doesn't love a good Earthrise?

2. A classic "OMG I'M ON MOON GROUND" shot

There were also a TON of these shots. I get it! I'd be kinda obsessed with the moon ground too.

3. Old-school spacewalk!

Can you even believe that spacewalks happened before technological advances like, say, the Internet? I know they're not related, but it just blows my mind that people were taking spacewalks in the 1960s. That's around 50 years ago!

4. Moonman with bag

The only question that remains: "Is he smiling?"

5. The shadow shot!

Who hasn't taken one of these? The answer: not many! (Because a total of 12 people have walked on the moon). I personally have taken so many "Ooo my shadow looks cool and I don't feel like taking a selfie" shots when the sun was in a good place. Astronauts — they take shadow selfies too.

6. That one picture of your friend playing

I get it, he wanted to go for a walk.

7. That time you wanted to get the cool rock but your friend got in the way...

...but it made the picture even better because you could see how big the rock was!

8. Awkward exiting of the vehicle picture!

"Dude, I didn't even know you were taking pictures! Geez!" — imagined reaction of that spaceman leaving his spacecraft after he realizes his friend was taking pictures.

9. That time you got excited because your footprint stayed in one piece and it looked like a rock or art or something!

There's no wind on the moon, so it's easier to capture this moment ... but still.

10. Another classic: the "doesn't my foot look cool"

Hey, you can't deny the composition and the negative space going on here. Artful.

11. The "You go first" shot

"I'll be right down!"

12. The "ooo my shadow looks really tall" with a bonus pop of color

You know you'd take this picture. I know I would! Tall shadow! America! Craters! Extra points for the cool footprints in the lower half of the picture too.

13. The "feeling weird and upside down right now"

We've all taken a picture to verify we feel as weird as we do. I'm kinda glad he captured this moment!

According to the uploader, Kipp Teague, "every photo taken on the lunar surface by astronauts with their chest-mounted Hasselblad cameras is included in the collection, along with numerous other Hasselblad photos shot from Earth and lunar orbit, as well as during the journey between the two."

Amazing.

Lastly, here's an image from the final mission to the moon:

14. Sad last journey moment

Home base (the Apollo 17 Lunar Module "Challenger") is a long way away in this 500mm telephoto view taken during NASA's final mission to the Moon in December, 1972.
A photo posted by Kipp Teague (@retroweb) on


Image credits: All photographs by NASA/ The Project Apollo Archive via Flickr. Also important to note: These images are online in large part because of the work of Kipp Teague, head of the Project Apollo Archive!

Wow. If you want to see more, you can head over to The Project Apollo Archive (all 8,400+ images!) on Flickr.

But if you really really wanna see more, keep supporting space travel, NASA, and just lovin' space. It's as easy as staying curious — and always looking to the sky.

Community

Facebook group brings people together IRL to make meaningful friendships

True

Making new friends as an adult is challenging. While people crave meaningful IRL connections, it can be hard to know where to find them. But thanks to one Facebook Group, meeting your new best friends is easier than ever.

Founded in 2018, NYC Brunch Squad brings together hundreds of people who come as strangers and leave as friends through its in-person events.

“Witnessing the transformative impact our community has on the lives of our members is truly remarkable. We provide the essential support and connections needed to thrive amid the city's chaos,” shares Liza Rubin, the group’s founder.

Despite its name, the group doesn’t just do brunch. They also have book clubs, seasonal parties, and picnics, among other activities.

NYC Brunch Squad curates up to 10 monthly events tailored to the specific interests of its members. Liza handles all the details, taking into account different budgets and event sizes – all people have to do is show up.

“We have members who met at our events and became friends and went on to embark on international journeys to celebrate birthdays together. We have had members get married with bridesmaids by their sides who were women they first connected with at our events. We’ve had members decide to live together and become roommates,” Liza says.

Members also bond over their passion for giving back to their community. The group has hosted many impact-driven events, including a “Picnic with Purpose” to create self-care packages for homeless shelters and recently participated in the #SquadSpreadsJoy challenge. Each day, the 100 members participating receive random acts of kindness to complete. They can also share their stories on the group page to earn extra points. The member with the most points at the end wins a free seat at the group's Friendsgiving event.

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Democracy

This Map Reveals The True Value Of $100 In Each State

Your purchasing power can swing by 30% from state to state.

Image by Tax Foundation.

Map represents the value of 100 dollars.

As the cost of living in large cities continues to rise, more and more people are realizing that the value of a dollar in the United States is a very relative concept. For decades, cost of living indices have sought to address and benchmark the inconsistencies in what money will buy, but they are often so specific as to prevent a holistic picture or the ability to "browse" the data based on geographic location.

The Tax Foundation addressed many of these shortcomings using the most recent (2015) Bureau of Economic Analysis data to provide a familiar map of the United States overlaid with the relative value of what $100 is "worth" in each state. Granted, going state-by-state still introduces a fair amount of "smoothing" into the process — $100 will go farther in Los Angeles than in Fresno, for instance — but it does provide insight into where the value lies.

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Joy

Instacart delivery person followed her instincts and ended up saving the life of a customer

"You're supposed to take a picture and leave, and I could not just leave."

@JessicaHiggs3/TikTok

Jessica Higgs had a sense that something wasn't right at a customer's house and her action saved his life.

One the more mysterious aspects of being human is our sense of intuition. This "sixth sense" isn't something we can see or measure, but many people have experienced it in some form or fashion. Maybe it comes as a strong feeling that something isn't right, or that we or someone else should or shouldn't do something. It can be hard to read—not every feeling we get is truly our intuition—but there are plenty of examples of people trusting their instincts and being glad they did.

One such story has gone viral on TikTok. Jessica Higgs, a mom who works as an Instacart grocery delivery person, shared a story in an emotional video that illustrates the importance of listening to that inner voice when it prompts you to make sure someone is OK.

"I just want to start this off by saying if you see something, say something," Higgs said.

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heroes
Family

Grandma got a secret DNA test after noticing her granddaughter didn't look like her siblings

People think she was right to do it, too.

via Christian Buehner/Unsplash and Warren Umoh/Unsplash

The grandmother was suspicious.

A grandmother always felt her middle granddaughter Lindsay, 15, looked slightly different from the rest of the family because she had blonde, curly hair, while the rest of her siblings’ hair was dark “I thought genetics was being weird and I love her,” she wrote on Reddit’s AITA forum.

But things became serious after Linday’s parents “banned” her from taking things a step further and getting a DNA test. If the family was sure their daughter was theirs, why would they forbid her from seeking clarity in the situation? After the parents laid down the law, the situation started to seem a little suspicious.

“I told my son and [daughter-in-law] that there was something fishy around her birth she needed to know. They denied it and told me to leave it alone,” the grandma wrote.

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Science

Watch a rescued beaver meticulously build an indoor 'dam' out of random household items

Sawyer's ongoing struggle with SpongeBob SquarePants' legs is a must-see.

Holley Muraco/YouTube

Sawyer checks her work once in a while as she builds her hallway dam.

The fact that beavers build dams is one of nature's coolest features. Gathering and stacking tree branches, rocks, grass and mud across a river so they can build their homes underwater is a unique instinct among the animals—and a strong one.

Apparently, it's so strong that beavers will build dams anywhere, including inside a human's house using whatever items they can find.

A video shared by Dr. Holley Muraco, director of research at the Mississippi Aquarium, shows a female beaver named Sawyer busily gathering stuffed animals, blankets, Christmas decorations, wrapping paper and more to build a dam in a hallway, and it's seriously the most delightful thing ever.

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Pop Culture

Clever woman figured out how to get the name and address of the person who stole her credit card

She was totally chill about it, too.

via Absolutely Lauren/TikTok

TikTok user Absolutely Lauren catches an online scammer.

There was a massive jump in credit card fraud in America in 2021 due to the pandemic. According to CNET, fraud involving credit cards jumped 69% from 2020 to 2021, affecting 13 million Americans and costing $9 billion.

In a world where online transactions are part of everyday life, it’s hard to completely protect your information. But, by staying vigilant and monitoring your accounts you can report fraud before it gets out of hand.

A TikTok user by the name of Lauren (@absolutelylauren) from San Diego, California, got a notification that there was a $135 charge on her card at Olaplex’s online store that she hadn’t made. Olaplex sells products that repair excessively damaged hair. Before reporting the charge to her credit card company she asked her family members if they used her card by mistake.

“I don’t wanna shut my card down if it’s just my mom ordering some shampoo,” Lauren said in the video. “Definitely not my two younger brothers, they’ve got good hair but they don’t color it.”

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fraud
Pop Culture

These dancers can decipher choreography by sound only and it’s mind-boggling

Just…wow!

Clippers Spirit|Instagram

Dancers wow the internet by deciphering dance moves by sound.

If there's one thing people have collectively learned from shows like "So You Think You Can Dance?," it's that everyone is not born a dancer. When people who were gifted with rhythm and talent dance, it's like poetry, with movements so fluid that you question if they're somehow floating in water and choreography so complex and precise that you wonder if they're actually robots. It's beyond watching people move their bodies to the sound of music; it's watching an artist paint a masterpiece with ease.

The LA Clippers dancers, Clippers Spirit, has turned things up a notch by challenging their dancers to copy the previously learned choreography by only using sound.

It sounds easy enough, but the catch is they're not using the music associated with the choreography. The dancers are also not able to look at the dancer behind them, who is giving them the expected moves. They can only go by the sounds the hidden dancer's feet and body are making.

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