Sign In

Apollo 8 was a groundbreaking mission in NASA's Apollo program, launched on December 21, 1968. It marked the first time a crewed spacecraft orbited the Moon, paving the way for future lunar landing missions. Astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders embarked on a six-day journey, becoming the first humans to travel beyond low Earth orbit and witness the Earthrise over the lunar horizon. During their ten orbits around the Moon, the crew captured stunning photographs, conducted experiments, and broadcast live television images back to Earth. The success of the Apollo 8 mission demonstrated the capability of the Apollo spacecraft and the Saturn V rocket, instilling confidence in NASA's ability to achieve their ambitious goal of landing humans on the Moon.