Lmst

Michael ElliotTurnOntheSound@pixelfed.social

2025-05-27

I was very busy Christmas Day in 1968 in Mission Control doing trajectory work for the Trans Earth Injection maneuver. The whole 20 hour period when #Apollo8 was in lunar orbit was particularly exhausting.

On Christmas Eve 1968, Millions watched the Apollo 8 Astronauts Broadcast from the Moon Orbit.

At this time, it was the most watched television broadcast in both media history. According to Borman, the crew was told that they would have “the largest audience that had ever listened to a human voice”.

https://www.nasa.gov/missions/apollo/apollo-8-christmas-at-the-moon/

#nasa #apollo8 #christmas #eve #1968 #tv #broadcast #space #science #history #tech #media #engineer #news #xmas #happyholidays

“Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968. That evening, the astronauts–Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders–held a live broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and moon as seen from their spacecraft.” CREDIT: NASA.

NASA simply instructed the astronauts to say something appropriate. As they beamed back images of the moon and Earth, the astronauts took turns reading from the book of Genesis.

“The first ten verses of Genesis is the foundation of many of the world’s religions, not just the Christian religion,” [Lovell recalled in 2008]. “There are more people in other religions than the Christian religion around the world, and so this would be appropriate to that and so that’s how it came to pass.”

<https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/broadcasting-apollo-8-live-space>

[ImageSource: NASA]

<Entitled “Earthrise,” this photograph was taken by astronaut William Anders during an orbit of the moon as part of the Apollo 8 mission.>

That same Christmas Eve, Anders snapped the famous Earthrise photo showing what our home looks like from the moon’s orbit.

The crew also made it to their Christmas Eve destination due to a “bold, improvisational call by NASA.” Continued delays with the lunar module were threatening to slow down the entire Apollo program. NASA pivoted and sent the Apollo 8 crew all the way to the moon without a lunar module on the first manned flight of the massive Saturn V rocket. This accelerated timeline ended up keeping President John F. Kennedy’s goal of landing a human on the surface of the moon by the end of the 1960s alive.

<https://www.jfklibrary.org/visit-museum/exhibits/past-exhibits/moon-shot-jfk-and-space-exploration>

[ImageSource: NASA]

Apollo 8 launched from Cape Kennedy Air Force Station in Florida on December 21, 1968. It was the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth’s gravitational sphere of influence and also the first human spaceflight to reach the Moon. It took 68 hours for the spacecraft to reach the moon. The crew then orbited 10 times over about 20 hours, during which they made the famous Christmas Eve broadcast.

The next morning, mission control waited for confirmation that Apollo 8’s engine burn to leave lunar orbit was successful. Lovell radioed back “Roger, please be informed there is a Santa Claus,” and the crew began the journey home.

Apollo 8 splashed down in the northern Pacific Ocean on December 27 after a total mission time of 6 days, 3 hours, 42 seconds. Upon their return, Time magazine named Borman, Lovell, and Anders their Men of the Year for 1968.

<https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2019712_2019703_2019664,00.html>

This is the Christmas Eve greeting read by the crew of Apollo 8 in 1968.

#ChristmasEve #NASA #Apollo8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToHhQUhdyBY

"Oh my God, look at that picture over there! There's the Earth coming up. Wow, is that pretty!”

William Anders
Lunar Orbit
December 24, 1968

#Earthrise #Apollo8 #NASA

https://bbc.com/future/article/20230511-earthrise-the-photo-that-sparked-an-environmental-movement

#FromLunarOrbit
"And from the crew of Apollo 8,
We close with good night,
Good luck, a #merryChristmas,
And God bless all of you—
All of you on the good Earth."
--Frank Borman, commander of the #Apollo8 mission

https://www.nasa.gov/missions/apollo/apollo-8-christmas-at-the-moon/

Apollo 8 — Genesis reading, Christmas Eve, 1968 https://moon.nasa.gov/resources/318/apollo-8-genesis-reading/

NASA — Apollo 8
https://youtu.be/OfIlau2VVp4?si=X34M6r6JzHi76egu

"Earthrise" and Apollo 8 — Jim Lovell remembers (2023) https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/apollo-8s-moment-of-grace/
#Apollo8 #NASA #Earthrise #space #ChristmasEve

The first human explorers to the Moon on a maiden voyage of exploration discover the fragility of home | Ian Kinsey

https://bylines.scot/lifestyle/earthrise-an-iconic-christmas-eve-family-photo/?feed_id=2518&_unique_id=676a5832cbaa6

#ChristmasEve #Explorers #moon #Apollo8
https://bylines.scot/lifestyle/earthrise-an-iconic-christmas-eve-family-photo/?feed_id=2518&_unique_id=676a5832cbaa6

56 years ago, a Christmas message from the moon.

https://youtu.be/ToHhQUhdyBY

#apollo8 #nerd

The newest #SpaceRocketHistory episode on the #ASTP, about the people involved in the flight, and their language problems.
With the traditional #Apollo8 Christmas message at the end.🎄
https://www.spacerockethistory.com/2024/12/space-rocket-history-454-apollo-soyuz-test-project-astronauts-cosmonauts/

This is a great video about the #Apollo 8 mission, including the decisions that led to approving the mission, how the crew did, and the trajectory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmx_4Y-9QS0
#Apollo8 #NASA

[09:20] Sudosa-Desto gooit titelhouder uit bekertoernooi

De volleybalsters van AIC VA Sudosa-Desto zijn de laatste weken niet te kloppen. Zo ook niet voor Apollo 8. Sudosa-Desto plaatste zich met een 3-1 overwinning voor de kwartfinale van de beker ten koste van de titelhouder.

https://www.dvhn.nl/sport/Sudosa-Desto-gooit-titelhouder-uit-bekertoernooi-29321774.html

#AIC #Sudosa_Destozijnde #Apollo8 #3_1

Guten Morgen @dlr_next
Ich dachte mir, auch wir können ja mal was zurückgeben!
Das Foto ist natürlich nicht von mir. Und schon millionenfach gezeigt. Aber man kann immer wieder nur ehrfürchtig darüber staunen!
#earthrise #NASA #BillAnders #JimWeigang #Apollo8 #ApolloProgramm

[12:51] Mark Afman stopt per direct bij Sudosa-Desto

De vrouwen van AIC VA Sudosa-Desto gaan verder zonder hoofdcoach Mark Afman. De nederlaag tegen Apollo 8 was er één te veel en deed Afman besluiten te stoppen.

https://www.dvhn.nl/groningen/Mark-Afman-stopt-per-direct-bij-Sudosa-Desto-29292196.html

#AIC #Sudosa_Destogaanverderzonderhoofdcoach #MarkAfman #Apollo8 #één #Afman

[11:27] Sudosa-Desto stort in en geeft winst uit handen

De volleybalsters van AIC VA Sudosa-Desto hadden een mooie slag in de eredivisie kunnen slaan als ze hun kansen tegen Apollo 8 hadden gepakt. Nu gaven ze tot twee keer toe een ruime voorsprong uit handen en verloren ze pijnlijk met 3-0.

https://www.dvhn.nl/sport/Sudosa-Desto-stort-in-en-geeft-winst-uit-handen-29288482.html

#AIC #Sudosa_Desto #Apollo8 #twee #3_0

[22:37] Wisselvallig Sudosa-Desto in drie sets onderuit tegen Apollo 8

De dames van AIC Visser Sudosa-Desto moesten in eigen huis het onderspit delven tegen Apollo 8 uit Borne. In de Sporthal Olympus in Assen werd het een pijnlijke 0-3 nederlaag.

https://www.rtvdrenthe.nl/nieuws/17015081/wisselvallig-sudosa-desto-in-drie-sets-onderuit-tegen-apollo-8

#AIC #Apollo8 #Borne #Sporthal #Assen #0_3

[22:21] Uiteindelijk werkt ook plan c niet voor Sudosa-Desto

Het begin was hoopvol voor de volleybalsters van AIC VA Sudosa-Desto. De eerste set tegen Apollo 8 werd gewonnen, maar daarna liep de ploeg bijna constant achter de feiten aan. Een 3-1 nederlaag was het gevolg.

https://www.dvhn.nl/sport/Uiteindelijk-werkt-ook-plan-c-niet-voor-Sudosa-Desto-29259411.html

#AIC #Sudosa_Desto #eerste #Apollo8 #3_1

A Historic Moment: Apollo 8 Returns to Earth

This iconic photo captures the Apollo 8 capsule being hoisted onto the recovery ship after its successful splashdown in 1968. The first manned mission to orbit the Moon, Apollo 8 paved the way for humanity's first lunar landing.

📸 NASA

#Apollo8 #SpaceExploration #History #NASA

Seeing him all choked up, makes me feel the same way...

https://youtube.com/shorts/zMIhZHRPE-4?si=Sz0rUzPqqMwNL0Xy

#neildegrasstyson #apollo8 #space #moon #Science

Earthrise: A Momentous View

This iconic image, captured by the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, shows Earth rising above the lunar horizon. It was the first time humans had ever seen our planet from this perspective. 🌎

This photograph became a symbol of environmentalism and human unity.

Credit: NASA

#Apollo8 #Earthrise #SpaceExploration #space

#Apollo8

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