Gold Orbit Arc Wall Art

Gold Orbit Arc — 3 museum-grade prints in this palette. NEAR Shoemaker proved that small bodies could be orbited and landed upon with 1990s technology — a direct precursor to OSIRIS-REx, Hayabusa, and DART. Eugene Shoemaker, the mission's namesake, pioneered planetary impact cratering theory and lunar geology training for Apollo astronauts; his ashes would later reach the Moon aboard Lunar Prospector. Apollo 8 was the first crewed mission to leave Earth orbit and circle the Moon, completing ten lunar revolutions in December 1968. Bill Anders' Earthrise photograph — Earth rising above the lunar horizon — became one of the most reproduced images in history and helped galvanize the environmental movement. Apollo 17 marked the last time humans walked on the Moon — a closing chapter that would stand for over half a century as subsequent programs focused on low Earth orbit and robotic deep space. Harrison Schmitt, a geologist trained for Apollo science returns, validated the program's late pivot toward field geology on another world.

Updated 13 Jun 2026