usnatarchives:Apollo 8 mission image of the Earth appearing beyond the Moon (“Earthrise”), December

usnatarchives:Apollo 8 mission image of the Earth appearing beyond the Moon (“Earthrise”), December 24, 1968. (National Archives Identifier 16670351)Two Generations of Flight and One Historic MissionThis month marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission. To commemorate the historic event, the National Archives is having a special document exhibit in the East Rotunda Gallery of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, from November 29, 2018, through January 1, 2019. Today’s post comes from Michael Hancock in the National History Office.Because most of the public’s fascination with the space program focuses on Apollo 11, which put a man on the Moon, it is easy to overlook the many “firsts” that Apollo 8 delivered. It was a risky mission—NASA’s initial plans were to test the lunar and command module components of the Apollo spacecraft before venturing out to the Moon.Russia’s advances in space flight and a rumored mission to the Moon prompted NASA to move quickly to beat them to the punch. On December 21, 1968, Apollo 8launched with crew members Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders. They became the first men to leave Earth’s orbit and circle the Moon in what would be the precursor to a lunar landing. They were also the first men to be launched into space on the massive Saturn V rocket and the first men to capture the iconic image of “Earthrise” on December 24, 1968.But something else special tethered two significant events in human exploration and flight and the notions of “firsts.” The night before the launch, famed aviator Charles Lindbergh visited with the flight crew of Apollo 8.Forty-one years earlier, “Lucky Lindy,” as he was known, was the first man to fly solo across the Atlantic. Lindbergh was a celebrity in his own right. His accomplishments were nothing short of remarkable, and nothing caught the imagination of aspiring young aviators worldwide quite like Lindbergh’s amazing flight across the great expanse of ocean.Read more over at the Pieces of History blog.  -- source link
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