The image on the left is what anyone can purchase from NASA for a few dollars, IF they know the flight number and image file number (NASA does not produce a catalog). You may also have to wait up to two months to receive the photo (the wheels of government move slowly). The image on the left is about 23 years old. It is faded, scratched, grainy, and contrasty. The image on the right has been restored to its original luster and color, based on comparisons with recent Space Shuttle images. It also has the "shadow" side filled by combining views from similar images. Due to all these changes, the U.S. Copyright Office has granted The Stock Solution a copyright to this image. Current earth photographs taken from the Space Shuttle will never compare to this image, because they are too close to the earth (only a few hundred miles away), so only a small portion of the earth can be included in each photo. The last image of the "whole" earth was taken as the astronauts returned from the moon, 23 years ago, and over 10,000 miles away. Who knows when we'll get that far out into space again! This restored and retouched image is also the only full earth image in existence (as far as we know) that shows North America instead of the usual "Africa" side view that one sees everywhere.