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 (above).

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.

The iconic "Earthrise" image taken by astronaut Bill Anders
on Apollo 8 on Christmas Eve 1968. Friday marked the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 liftoff.

CAMILLE BOHANNON

Singer Robert Anthony Plant is 73 today.

Plant is best known as the lead singer and lyricist
of the English rock band Led Zeppelin.

The U.S. Congress passed legislation establishing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a civilian agency
responsible for coordinating America’s activities in space, on July 29,
1958. NASA has since sponsored space expeditions, both human and
mechanical, that have yielded vital information about the solar system
and universe. It has also launched numerous earth-orbiting satellites
that have been instrumental in everything from weather forecasting to
navigation to global communications.

At 10:56 p.m. EDT, American astronaut Neil Armstrong (above),
240,000 miles from Earth, spoke these words to more than a
billion people listening at home: “That’s one small step for
man, one giant leap for mankind.” Stepping off the lunar
landing module Eagle, Armstrong became the first human to
walk on the surface of the moon.

CARLATA BRADLEY