Apollo 8 blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida
On December 21, 1968, Apollo 8 blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida and three days later, Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders became the first humans to enter lunar orbit.The mission ultimately led to the first footsteps on the moon when Neil Armstrong took his "one small step" in 1969.Apollo 8 also marked a rare moment of unity in the United States in a tumultuous year marred by the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy, violence peaking during the Vietnam War and riots across American cities.Shortly after entering the moon's orbit, astronauts aboard the Apollo 8 witnessed Earth rising above the moon.
Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders
Earthrise
"Earthrise," a photograph of the event taken by Anders, became one of the most famous images of the 20th century.In a Christmas Eve broadcast timed to coincide with a full view of Earth, the crew read the first 10 verses of the Book of Genesis that forms the basis for Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Apollo 8 was originally planned to orbit Earth for 10 days and test a lunar landing module but the mission changed to a more ambitious lunar orbital flight in the face of Soviet competition.The Soviet Union had set the pace for space exploration for over a decade in the Cold War battle for supremacy that became known as the Space Race.The Apollo 8 mission also reflected former president John F. Kennedy's objective for the United States to land the first man on the moon.
"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him back safely to the earth," Kennedy declared in 1961."No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish."
By the end of the decade, the United States was pouring billions of dollars annually into its space program and its lunar launch programs.
Apollo 8 was originally planned to orbit Earth for 10 days and test a lunar landing module but the mission changed to a more ambitious lunar orbital flight in the face of Soviet competition.The Soviet Union had set the pace for space exploration for over a decade in the Cold War battle for supremacy that became known as the Space Race.The Apollo 8 mission also reflected former president John F. Kennedy's objective for the United States to land the first man on the moon.
"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him back safely to the earth," Kennedy declared in 1961."No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish."
By the end of the decade, the United States was pouring billions of dollars annually into its space program and its lunar launch programs.
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