Apollo 8 was the second crewed flight of the American Apollo programme and the first to carry humans beyond Earth orbit. Its crew, Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders, travelled to the Moon aboard a Saturn V rocket, the first crewed launch of that vehicle. Originally planned as an Earth-orbit test, the mission was changed to a lunar flight at short notice, partly out of concern that the Soviet Union might send cosmonauts around the Moon first. The astronauts orbited the Moon ten times on Christmas Eve, broadcast a reading from the Book of Genesis to a large television audience, and took the Earthrise photograph. The flight proved that the Moon landing was achievable.
Before and after
- 11 October 1968Launch of Apollo 7
- 18 October 1968Bob Beamon's long jump of 8.90 metres
- 5 November 19681968 United States presidential election
- 20 December 1968Death of John Steinbeck
- 21 December 1968Launch of Apollo 8
- 24 December 1968Apollo 8 orbits the Moon and photographs Earthrise
- 31 December 1968First flight of Tupolev Tu-144
- 1969Discovery of the Murchison meteorite
- 1969Invention of ed
More in Universe & space
- 22 October 1969Discovery of 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
- 14 September 1974Discovery of Leda
- 24 May 1981Discovery of Larissa
- 22 August 1981Discovery of Pan
- 18 September 1989Discovery of Naiad
- 26 June 2012Discovery of Styx
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.