Final answer:
Images of the ground from the sky have been captured since the early days of photography, with significant developments in the late 19th century and advancements in the 1960s and 1970s. This has allowed for detailed and instant images of the Earth from space.
Step-by-step explanation:
Images of the ground from the sky have been captured since the early days of photography. The first known photograph of Earth from space is the 'Blue Marble' image taken by the Apollo 17 astronauts during the Apollo program in the 1970s. However, infrared observations from airplanes have been made since the 1960s. Before that, in the late 19th century, advances in photography allowed for faster exposure times, enabling the capture of moving objects like horses in motion. Photographic film and glass plates were also used as detectors for astronomical observations throughout the twentieth century. Overall, the capture of images of the ground from the sky has evolved over time with advancements in technology, enabling us to obtain detailed and instant images from the sky.