50th Anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission

[andyofborg]

With all the doom and gloom,  the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission seems to be passing without remark. 

 

We should take a moment to celebrate the brilliance of the people who designed and built it and the bravey of those who flew it. 

 

https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1249.html 

[andyofborg]

Interesting fact No 1:

 

The mission launched 65 years almost to the day after the first flight of the Wright Flyer

 

[Top Cats Hat]

Radio Four had a documentary about the Apollo 8 mission last night presented by Helen Sharman, our first astronaut.

 

An interesting point she made was that prior to the Lunar insertion burn, all previous trips into space had been into low earth orbit which is only 50 miles above the surface and still subject to the earth's gravity.

 

Apollo 8 was the first time that humans had ever gone properly into space.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001lw3

[davyboy]

The reading from the Book of Genesis by the three astronauts is one of the most emotional things I have ever heard.

Even now it brings tears to my eyes and a shiver down the spine.

 

 

Edited December 16, 2018 by davyboy

[janie48]

2 hours ago, Top Cats Hat said:

Radio Four had a documentary about the Apollo 8 mission last night presented by Helen Sharman, our first astronaut.

 

An interesting point she made was that prior to the Lunar insertion burn, all previous trips into space had been into low earth orbit which is only 50 miles above the surface and still subject to the earth's gravity.

 

Apollo 8 was the first time that humans had ever gone properly into space.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001lw3

Thanks for that, it was fascinating. 

2 hours ago, davyboy said:

The reading from the Book of Genesis by the three astronauts is one of the most emotional things I have ever heard.

Even now it brings tears to my eyes and a shiver down the spine.

 

Yes it was very moving to hear at the end. 

 

And thanks for the thread Andy. 

[fatrajah]

The thing I remember most was that the capsule was several very tense seconds late in completing its trip around the far side of the moon. Can it be inferred from that that mission was not faked?

Edited December 17, 2018 by fatrajah