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Pickett800T t1_j13x1r1 wrote

What I remember most is that heart-stopping first human lunar orbit, where the crew of Apollo 8 were alone in deep space, hidden behind the moon. We waited, breathless with dread, until their voices came to us again. During that hiatus, the craft made a lunar orbit insertion burn to slow it down to enter lunar orbit, so ground control themselves didn't know whether it was successful until telemetry resumed and Lovell's voice came over the radio: "Houston, Apollo 8. Burn complete." It was Christmas Eve, and for the first time humans were orbiting another world.

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-DementedAvenger- t1_j144zfd wrote

That gives me goosebumps just reading that…

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Pickett800T t1_j1j0t7i wrote

No kidding, I still remember that first lunar orbit and the real fear that a simple engine failure or miscalculation could potentially launch the craft on a wide earth orbit that the crew could not survive with their few provisions.

They survived, thanks to orbital mechanics derived from the work of Isaac Newton and many others. Tomorrow is Newton's 280th birthday (he was a Christmas child). Happy birthday, Isaac.

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derek533 t1_j13rw61 wrote

Jim Lovell is who most people will recognize from this flight, but it can't be understated what an awesome dude Frank Borman was.

When he took over Eastern Airlines after retiring from Nasa, he personally flew in a helicopter to the crash site of the L1011 that crashed in the Everglades, waded through waist deep water to get to the crash site, and helped rescue/recover crash victims.

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The-Sturmtiger-Boi t1_j16ywzm wrote

Plane clash victims watching as a literal moon man trudges trough hell to save them

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Pickett800T t1_j18k64n wrote

There were 75 survivors, nearly all injured. The crash landing in the swampland is thought to have been a mixed blessing. The mud may have stopped some wounds from bleeding out, but there would also be lots of really nasty microbes entering the bloodstream through the wounds.

This is less about Apollo astronauts than the heroism of one witness, an airboat pilot who despite injuries from the spilled jet fuel, nevertheless participated in the recovery effort that night and all the following day. I'm sure Frank would have agreed that such heroism is worthy of mention.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Air_Lines_Flight_401

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Trinamari t1_j17t8xc wrote

He also was the only astronaut on the Apollo 1 enquiry and testified before Congress about the findings. You want to talk about a tough gig. If you read the transcripts of his Congressional testimony, his words helped save the future of the program. Oh, and he had a 50+ year marriage. Really going till death did they part. I really respect him. May he live on. I hope he knows that he is remembered.

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Trinamari t1_j13ymz4 wrote

I see this as one of the bravest and riskiest moments in history and also the most rewarding. These astronauts lost their tether with earth and went moonbound on theory and technology. Mind you, well researched theory and technology but it still was untested. We were rewarded with some of the most beautiful and poignant photography. Earthrise. I wish I had lived then to see this for the first time.

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spacey-throwaway t1_j15jj8z wrote

Apollo 8 is my favorite mission from the Space Race. As others have pointed out, this was one of the riskiest missions of the Apollo Program, and it's also had arguably the second biggest lasting impact (can't surpass 11 there).

Bill Anders iconic image Earthrise reshaped how humanity views ourselves and our duty to the Earth. Early green movements point to this image as an inciting moment, and damn if it isn't still awe inspiring to this day.

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comcain2 t1_j169wqi wrote

In my opinion Earthrise is the most important picture ever taken. It's not a coincidence that the environmental movement gained steam after it was published.

Cheers

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Sasquatch_butt6162 t1_j13t893 wrote

They set the stage for Neil and Buzz, that's for sure.

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im4ruckus t1_j15h7ye wrote

Me and my family were there for the launch! Pretty impressive when the noise hit! Cool flight as well!!

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Tight_Contact_9976 t1_j169c2f wrote

Trailing only Apollo 11, this was probably the most important mission of the whole space race.

It was the first time any humans had ever traveled to another planetary body, it was the first test of any manned spacecraft outside of Earths orbit, it was the farthest any human had ever been from planet Earth, and it was the mission proved that the United States was finally ahead in the space race.

I hope this mission is remembered forever

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drmalaxz t1_j15kmqi wrote

Only lunar flight without a LM as potential lifeboat. Talk about test piloting! They were first.

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garon1282 t1_j16sepv wrote

I'll Never forget the reading of Genesis by the crew. I'm not religious but that will always stick with me.

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Felaguin t1_j1799m4 wrote

First to the Moon. Gutsiest mission of the Space Age given how little we knew and the state of the equipment at the time.

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BurningFlex t1_j17x413 wrote

I got a friend who argues that we never landed on the moon. How do I convince him we did. Help. :/

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mahatmakg OP t1_j18fl8w wrote

You can ask him to think about the cold war. The soviets independently confirmed the flights of Apollo 8-17, they were listening intently. If there was doubt about the legitimacy of the program, they would have been shouting from the mountaintops. To believe that the Apollo program was all a ruse, you'd have to believe the same about the entire cold war. The tensions with Cuba which last to this day, the Vietnam war, the buildup of nuclear arms - was all of that a sham? In that case, this ruse would have come to encompass so many hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people, that there is no way that a secret like that could be kept for 60+ years.

Shorter answer: the Apollo astronauts left mirrors on the moon. Shine a laser at that spot, it shines back. Shine a laser elsewhere, nothing.

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mikeoxwells2 t1_j185y6y wrote

I think this was the only mission with a triangular shaped mission patch. Unless there’s been another made since

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