The Journey That Turned Earth into Earthrise

Before anyone could walk on the Moon, a crew had to prove that it could reach lunar orbit and return. Apollo 8 attempted that journey in December 1968 with Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders. They were not carrying a lander to take them to the surface. Their destination was an orbit from which the Moon would fill their windows, while the Earth they depended on would become a distant object.

The mission launched on December 21 aboard a Saturn V. Leaving Earth orbit changed the nature of the flight: the crew would spend days traveling between worlds rather than repeatedly passing over familiar continents. Navigation, communications and the spacecraft’s propulsion system all had to work across that distance. Reaching the Moon was not sufficient. The engine would have to place them in orbit and later send them home.