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Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the Moon

The Apollo 8 mission was a historic moment in space exploration. Launched on December 21, 1968, it was the first mission to send humans beyond low Earth orbit and into the depths of space. The three-man crew, consisting of Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders, became the first humans to ever see the dark side of the moon.

The mission was a major turning point in the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. In the years leading up to Apollo 8, the Soviets had taken the lead in the race to the moon, launching the first successful satellite (Sputnik) and the first human into space (Yuri Gagarin). But with the successful completion of the Apollo 8 mission, the United States regained the upper hand, setting the stage for the eventual moon landing by Apollo 11 just six months later.

The Apollo 8 mission was not without its challenges and dangers. The spacecraft, called the Saturn V, was the largest and most powerful rocket ever built at the time. It was so powerful, in fact, that it could have easily blown up on the launch pad.

Once in space, the crew of Apollo 8 faced a number of challenges, including the danger of being hit by space debris, the difficulty of navigating in deep space, and the extreme cold and isolation of being so far from Earth. But they persevered, and on December 24, they became the first humans to orbit the moon.

During their time in lunar orbit, the crew of Apollo 8 conducted a number of scientific experiments and they read from the book of Genesis during a Christmas Eve television broadcast to the people of Earth. After completing ten orbits of the moon, the crew of Apollo 8 returned safely to Earth on December 27, 1968, but not before taking this famous “Earthrise” photo, which shows the Earth rising over the moon’s horizon and is now in the holdings of the National Archives.

Check out NARA’s 50th Anniversary of Apollo 8 page here: https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/nasa-anniversary-collaboration

Image 1: AS08-15-2561 - Apollo 8 - Apollo 8 Mission image, Moon https://catalog.archives.gov/id/16670925

Image 2: 6377057. A Technician places two inflight pens and a penlight in the spacesuit pocket of Frank Borman, Apollo 8 commander. In approximately four hours, Borman and fellow Apollo 8 astronauts James Lovell and William Anders are scheduled to lift off on a lunar orbiting mission. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6377057

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