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A First Step
Space.
The black maiden, an ineffable beauty, seemingly impossible to grasp, was finally conquered on December 21, 1968. Atop a Saturn V booster, three young men -Frank Borman, James A. Lovell, Jr., and William A. Anders- made history with the first successful orbit around the Moon. Their mission, Apollo 8, was a historic moment for America as both their scientific and technical advances were displayed across the world to see, and their accomplishments, a testament to the determination of man for gain of knowledge.
Meet The Crew
Frank Borman, Commander, Jams A. Lovell Jr., Pilot,
William Anders, Lunar Module Pilot,
These brave astronauts were the first to pilot the first manned aircraft, the Saturn V, who successfully went around the moon and back. Results from the expedition were obtaining a glimpse of the Earth's entirety from a spacial perspective.
Astronomical Time Landmarks
Launch : December 21st, 1968
Earthrise Photo and Broadcast : December 24th, 1968
Splashdown : December 27th, 1968
Vietnam War : 1955-1975
In the Space Race against the Soviet Union, President John F. Kennedy initiated the dramatic expansion of the United States' space program to beat out the Soviet Union. By sending the Apollo 8 to the moon, and having it return successfully, they took the lead in the race for space. And on Christmas Eve, of 1968, The Crew captured a picture of an "Earthrise" and for the first time America "...for a few moments the nation united as one to focus on this epochal event"(Launius).
Making History
Apollo 8 was launched from Cape Kennedy on December 21, 1968, sending Frank Borman, James A. Lovell, Jr., and William A. Anders on a circumlunar flight around the Moon. Originally planned as just another flight to test Apollo hardware and technology, it wasn’t until senior engineer George M. Low of the Manned Spacecraft Center at Houston, Texas, and Samuel C. Phillips, Apollo Program Manager at NASA Headquarters obtained approval for the orbit. Passing by the Moon at 68 hours, 58 minutes, 48 seconds, loss of signal occurred to which the crew was exposed to the far side of the Moon. Borman described the Moon as a, “‘vast, lonely, forbidding type of existence,’” however nothing came close to the beauty of the Earth as commentated once again by Borman, “‘[The Moon] was a sobering sight, but it didn’t have the impact on me, at least, as the view of the Earth did’”. Although a project focused on the first orbiting of the Moon, it was, for Americans, a unifying mediator for the nation, at a time where American society was “... in a crisis over Vietnam, race relations, urban problems, and a host of other difficulties” (“The Legacy of Project Apollo”, Roger D. Launius). At a time riddled with bloodshed, hate, and discrimination, it was the Apollo 8 mission that “ … made [everyone] realize that [they] all exist on one small globe… [and that] raging nationalistic interests, famines, wars, pestilence don’t show from [the Moon’s] distance” (Frank Borman, Apollo 8, press reports, 10 January 1969). Ironically, a space mission scoped on the sights of the Moon provided further clarity and insight on the lonely existence of the small planet, home to mankind: the Earth. It could be argued that the Apollo 8 was significant not for the first circumlunar flight around the Moon, but the realization in the truth that all differences and sides of differing opinions on nationalist traits and beliefs all blend together to create the Earth; that such a small planet holding so much hate and violence was inconsequential compared to the vast space that stretched far beyond what the naked eye could see. The Apollo 8 was a humbling experience for all.
Video Broadcast
of First "Earthrise"
As of Today
No further space expeditions since 1972
-Neil Armstrong boarded the Apollo 11 and became the first man to walk on the moon
-The last Americans to walk on the moon were Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt.
Expanded towards sending rovers and drones to the moon and eventually Mars
-Technological advances, such as rovers, different spacecraft, and satellites.
For the People
For those which are also inspired by the means of space and the universe which our world resides in, these science fiction productions are a great influence to adults and children. Yet these science film productions, such as Star Wars, Apollo 13, Gravity, and Interstellar are based off of theories and future predictions on what space travel can achieve. Which not only gives entertainment to many, but lets the people take an interest in space.
Hereafter
The crew of the last Apollo mission, Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt, were the last ones to join 10 other astronauts in the most exclusive club in the universe. On December 14th, 1972 the last person who was on the moon was Cernan, he said “Bob, this is Gene, and I’m on the surface and as I take man’s last steps from the surface, back home, for some time to come, but we believe not too long into the future. I’d like to just list what I believe history will record that America’s challenge of today has forged man’s destiny of tomorrow. And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus Littrow, we leave as we come and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17.” Even with the successes carried out by Apollo Missions 8-17, the Apollo Program shut down in 1975.
Which leaves the question,
Why haven't we gone back?
Sources:
Chaikin, Andrew. "Houston, We Have a Photo: Apollo 8 Returned to Earth with One of the Most Famous Images in History." Smithsonian, vol. 48, no. 9, Jan/Feb 2018, p. 112. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sch&AN=126956642&site=scirc-live.
Launius, R. D. (n.d.). The Legacy of Project Apollo. The Legacy of Project Apollo, 01 Jan, 1999. Retrieved June 15, 2018,
Dunbar, B. (n.d.). “Apollo 8.” NASA, NASA, 21 Dec. Retrieved June 15, 2018,
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo8.html
Rabinowitch, E. (1902, undefined ). Reflections on Apollo 8. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, vol. Retrieved June 15, 2018,
Suddath, C. (2009, July 20). What Do Astronauts Eat in Space? Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1911617,00.html