Apollo 8 (December 21–27, 1968) was the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth's gravitational sphere of influence, and the first human spaceflight to reach the Moon.

Jul 11, 2024 · On December 21, 1968, three NASA astronauts embarked on a journey that would take them “Round the moon and back.” The Apollo 8 mission proved the performance of the command …

Apollo 8, which launched on December 21, 1968, was the first mission to take humans to the Moon and back. While the crew did not land on the Moon's surface, the flight was an important prelude to a …

Sep 18, 2018 · NASA's Apollo 8 mission, launched in 1968, represented a vital milestone in human space exploration: carrying the first crew to beyond low Earth orbit and toward the moon.

Although Apollo 8 had originally been envisioned as an Earth-orbit checkout mission only, NASA decided to attempt an ambitious round-trip flight to the Moon instead. Apollo 8 had been intended as …

Apollo 8 Mission Apollo 8 launched on 21 December 1968. Captain James A. Lovell Jr., USN, was command module pilot. This was the first mission to take humans to the vicinity of the moon....

May 31, 2025 · In December 1968, NASA’s Apollo 8 mission marked a historic moment in space exploration as the first manned mission to orbit the Moon. It was a pivotal step in the United States’ …

Dec 23, 2025 · Led by Commander Frank Borman, with Command Module Pilot James Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders, Apollo 8 became the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth’s orbit, …

Dec 20, 2018 · The mission demonstrated astronauts could ride the Saturn V rocket to space, enter and depart from lunar orbit, and return safely to Earth, all crucial milestones toward the 1969 Moon landing.

The goals of the mission included developing operational experience with deep space navigation, communication, and tracking. Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and …