DAVID MELENDY

The first photograph taken by humans of Earthrise during
the Apollo 8 mission. 

The prime crew of the Apollo 8 lunar orbit mission pose
for a portrait next to the Apollo Mission Simulator at the
Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Left to right, they are
James A. Lovell Jr., command module pilot; William
A. Anders, lunar module pilot; and Frank Borman,
commander.

Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, returns safely
to Earth after an historic six-day journey.

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

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 the Earth
and the moon from the spacecraft.

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 (below).

At 12:51 EDT on July 24, 1969, Apollo 11, the U.S. spacecraft that
had taken the first astronauts to the surface of the moon, safely
returned to Earth.

The American effort to send astronauts to the moon had its origins
in a famous appeal President John F. Kennedy made to a special
joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961.
        
        

The Apollo 11 astronauts are, from left, Neil Armstrong,
Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. They were quarantined
after splashdown to ensure they did not bring back any contamination from the moon. (Image credit: NASA)

Swimmers assist Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene A. Cernan,
left, Ronald E. Evans, and Harrison H. “Jack” Schmitt in
the life raft. (NASA Image)

The Apollo Lunar-Landing program came to an
end on December 19, 1972, when the last three
astronauts to travel to the moon splashed
down safely in the  Pacific Ocean.

Apollo 17 had lifted off from Cape Canaveral,
Florida 10 days before.

        

         
         
       

With the world anxiously watching, Apollo 13, a U.S. lunar spacecraft
that suffered a severe malfunction on its journey to the moon, safely returned to Earth on April 17, 1970.