Apollo 8
Apollo 8 launched on December 21, 1968, carrying astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders. It was the first crewed flight of the Saturn V rocket and the first time humans traveled to the Moon, entering lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, December 24. Anders captured the legendary color 'Earthrise' photo, and the crew read from Genesis during a live television broadcast seen by a quarter of the world's population before successfully returning to Earth on December 27.
Mission Imagery & Gallery
Primary Achievement
First crewed spacecraft to leave Earth orbit, reach the Moon, orbit it, and return safely; captured the iconic color Earthrise photograph.
Mission Objectives
- Demonstrate crewed translunar injection, lunar orbit insertion, and trans-Earth injection
- Perform navigation, communications, and photographic reconnaissance of Apollo landing candidates
- Validate Saturn V launch vehicle and Apollo Command/Service Module systems for lunar flight
Timeline Events
- 1968-12-21 — Launched from Kennedy Space Center LC-39A atop Saturn V; completed first crewed TLI burn.
- 1968-12-24 — Entered lunar orbit at 09:59 UTC; captured color Earthrise and broadcast Christmas Eve reading.
- 1968-12-25 — Fired service propulsion engine behind the Moon for Trans-Earth Injection burn.
- 1968-12-27 — Splashed down safely in the North Pacific Ocean after completing 10 lunar orbits.
Related Missions
- Apollo 11 (1969) · NASA
- Apollo 12 (1969) · NASA
- Lunar Orbiter 1 (1966) · NASA
Historical & Technical Sources
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