By: HISTORY.com Editors
Apollo 8 departs for lunar orbit
NASA's Early Years
In 1958, NASA was founded and quickly took up the goal of sending a man into Earth's orbit -- and safely returning him home. Seven men were chosen for Project Mercury, embarking on years of training to prepare for a journey no one had made before.
On Christmas Eve, the astronauts entered into orbit around the moon, the first manned spacecraft ever to do so. During Apollo 8‘s 10 lunar orbits, television images were sent back home, and spectacular photos were taken of Earth and the moon from the spacecraft. In addition to being the first human beings to view firsthand their home world in its entirety, the three astronauts were also the first to see the far side of the moon.
On Christmas morning, Apollo 8 left its lunar orbit and began its journey back to Earth, landing safely in the Pacific Ocean on December 27. On July 20 of the next year, Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission, became the first men to walk on the moon.
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Citation Information
- Article title
- Apollo 8 departs for lunar orbit
- Author
- HISTORY.com Editors
- Website Name
- History
- Date Accessed
- September 18, 2025
- Publisher
- A&E Television Networks
- Last Updated
- May 28, 2025
- Original Published Date
- February 09, 2010
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