"As I looked out the small triangular window of the lunar module, I could see the sharply curved horizon. We were indeed orbiting a body much smaller than the earth. As I looked, the earth, some 239,000 miles away, appeared to rapidly rise. Australia was just coming into view. It was breathtaking. After returning to earth, I needed to paint my experience. But what would be a suitable title? I thought of my favorite painting by Winslow Homer, depicting three fishermen in a small boat. In the distance was a faint full moon just being touched by the earth's horizon. Homer's title was Kissing the Moon. Seeing our shiny blue and white planet rise above the moon is a wonderful memory I think of often now. But in November 1969, I wondered if I would ever return to beautiful planet earth again." - Alan Bean

This Piece has been Hand-Signed by Astronaut/Artist Alan Bean, as well as Astronauts Charles "Pete" Conrad and Richard "Dick" Gordon.