Apollo 8 - 40 years ago Christmas Eve

[APG85]

I realize this is a Warbird Forum, but 40 years ago tonight Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders became the first astronauts to enter lunar orbit. I vaguely remember sitting by the Christmas tree watching this with my brother and parents on Christmas Eve 1968. What a neat time...

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-122308a.html

[Kyleb]

Thanks for the reminder.

Whenever I think of the Apollo astronauts, I am awed by how isolated those guys were. Millions of miles away from the next closest person.

[Second Air Force]

I remember that Christmas Eve as though it were yesterday.

Thanks for bringing up the anniversary!
Scott

[b29flteng]

40 YEARS!!!????!!!! Thanks for the reminder of how old I am! Yes I remember it well.

[DaveG]

In my classroom on the wall, I have a picture of the Wright Bros takeoff at Kitty Hawk next to the "Earthrise" shot from this mission. It amazes me that it is only 65 years between those events.

[wendovertom]

I got to hear these guys talk aboutthe mission a few weeks ago at ICAS. It was an incredible expereince - we (the audience) kept expecting the "harrowing story" and they just kept saying, it was in the mission plan and it went exactly as we planned it - no big deal.

However, Anders did say that he was convinced that there was a 1/3 chance that they would not come home, 1/3 of success and 1/3 for a really spooky trip - in hindsight a'la Apollo 13.

HA HA - Anders also said that Borman let him actually fly the module and so as they were coming around the moon he made a small adjustment so he (Anders) was really the first man around the moon! Borman immediatly jumped on that and said, "yeah, but you were leading with your ass"

It was awesome to hear them speak.

Brave Brave Men!

Tom P.

Last edited by wendovertom on Wed Dec 24, 2008 4:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[The Inspector]

Congratulations to Bill, Jim, and whatshisego-I remember it just like it was yesterday-
the iconic photos taken 'comin' round the bend' awakened the entire world to just how tiny, alone, and fragile this rock we inhabit really is, and how we'd better take care of the place-

[262crew]

Heres Mr. Anders in September.

[Robbie Roberts]

Makes ya wonder what they did when somebody farted in that little ol' capsule... All that space food an' all, couldn't crack a window, or light a match...

"Aww, C'MON! Lovell! Fer crimity out loud!"

Robbie

[262crew]

Local hero takes a picture. (Mr. Anders)

Last edited by 262crew on Thu Dec 25, 2008 1:47 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Robbie Roberts]

Nice Earthrise...

Robbie

[APG85]

Forty years ago today (Dec 27th), the Apollo 8 astronauts stepped from the recovery helicopter aboard the USS Yorktown after an incredible journey...

[Tom Crawford]

Am I imagining things but when we witnessed this original event we were seeing live coverage of the moonscape passing beneath Apollo all the while one of the Astronauts or someone was reading from the Biblical Book of Genesis. Does anyone remember this? Very, very moving especially on Christmas eve.

[APG85]

All three Astronauts took turns reading from Genesis on Christmas Eve while in lunar orbit...

[tom d. friedman]

dejavu........ & thanks for the memory