Recent photos taken by India’s Space Research Organization moon orbiter, known as Chandrayaan 2, clearly show the
Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 landing sites more than 50 years
later. (India Space Research Organization)

The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter (above) was equipped with
eight instruments to study the moon, including a lunar
terrain mapping camera and a sensor to study the
moon’s thin exosphere.

On Christmas morning, Apollo 8 left its lunar orbit and began
its journey back to Earth, landing safely in the Pacific Ocean
on on this day in 1968 after an historic six-day journey.

On December 21, Apollo 8 was launched by a three-stage
Saturn 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, astronauts
Frank Borman, James Lovell, Jr., and William Anders were
aboard.     
   

On Christmas Eve, the astronauts entered into orbit around
the moon, the first manned spacecraft ever to do so.      

Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, was
successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida,
with astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, Jr. and
William Anders aboard.

The crew: Frank Borman, Bill Anders and Jim Lovell.