Apollo 8
Also known as: Apollo VIII
- 1The mission was the first crewed spacecraft to exit Earth's gravitational sphere of influence.
- 2It marked the first time humans reached the Moon and orbited it.
- 3The crew completed ten orbits around the Moon without attempting a landing.
- 4Astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders comprised the flight crew.
- 5The mission provided the first human-captured photographs of the lunar far side and an Earthrise.
Apollo 8 was the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth's gravitational sphere of influence, and the first human spaceflight to reach the Moon.
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First crewed spacecraft to orbit the Moon
This mission was the first to leave Earth's orbit and reach the Moon, proving the viability of the Saturn V rocket and navigation systems for the later landing missions.
Apollo 8 was the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth's gravitational sphere of influence, and the first human spaceflight to reach the Moon. The crew orbited the Moon ten times without landing and then returned to Earth. The three astronauts—Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders—were the first humans to see and photograph the far side of the Moon and an Earthrise.
This is the Apollo 8 mission patch. Designed by Jim Lovell This is the official emblem of the Apollo 8 lunar orbit mission. The crew will consist of astronauts Frank Borman, commander; James A. Lovell Jr., command module pilot; and William A. Anders, lunar module pilot.Wikimedia Commons; NASA, Jim Lovell; http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/apollo/apollo8/html/s68-51093.html This image is from 8 insignia.jpg here . It was converted to PNG from Image:Apollo-8-patch.jpg by User:Black and White .; Public domain; Wikimed...Taken by Apollo 8 crewmember Bill Anders on December 24, 1968, at mission time 075:49:07 [8] (16:40 UTC), while in orbit around the Moon, showing the Earth rising for the third time above the lunar horizon. The lunar horizon is approximately 780 kilometers from the spacecraft. Width of the photographed area at the lun...Wikimedia Commons; NASA/Bill Anders; http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a410/AS8-14-2383HR.jpg; Public domain; Wikimedia Commons; Wikidata P18 (image)The Apollo 8 Command Module on the deck of the USS Yorktown (CVS-10) after being recovered on 27 December 1968.Wikimedia Commons; NASA; http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a410/ap8-S68-56310.jpg http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a410/ap8-S68-56310HR.jpg (higher resolution 853 KB) https://archive.org/details/S68-56310 (highest); Public domain; W... 64 words