The Apollo 8 crew in November 1968. L to R: James A. Lovell Jr., William A. Anders, and Frank Borman. (Photo: NASA)
On Christmas Eve 1968, three astronauts went into lunar orbit for the first time, taking humans closer to the moon than ever before.
The three men on board Apollo 8 — Commander Frank Borman, Lunar Module Pilot William Anders, and Command Module Pilot James Lovell — set the stage for Apollo 11’s eventual landing on the lunar surface. On April 21, Coloradans can learn more about this historic mission from a Smithsonian expert.
Dr. Michael Neufeld, Senior Curator in the Division of Space History at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, will be in Denver for two talks on April 21.
The event is in conjunction with History Colorado’s 1968 exhibit, which takes a look at one of the most tumultuous years in history.
The 1968 Exhibit brings to life this pivotal American year through photographs, artifacts, vintage pop culture items and interactives. In 1968, the death toll in the Vietnam War reached a new high. Riots and demonstrations raged across the country, Apollo 8 orbited the moon, and the nation was transformed by the tragic assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy. The 1960s also charted a dramatic road in America’s pop culture. It was in 1968 that Hair opened on Broadway, “Laugh-In” debuted on television and Johnny Cash gave his famous performance at Folsom Prison. –
Neufeld will give two talks — one, from 1-2 p.m. and an evening lecture from 7-8 p.m.
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The lunar surface taken from the Apollo 8 spacecraft looking southward from high altitude across the Southern Sea. (Photo: HO/AFP/Getty Images)
Apollo 8 fun facts:
- The back-up crew for Apollo 8 was lunar module pilot Fred Haise, Jr., commander Neil Armstrong and command module pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin. Armstrong and Aldrin, of course, were the first humans to walk on the lunar surface.
- Apollo 8’s Lovell went on to be the commander of the Apollo 13 mission. He was portrayed by Tom Hanks in the 1995 film.
- The Apollo 8 crew was named Time Magazine’s Men of the Year for 1968.
- Apollo 8 was the second flight in the Apollo program and the first manned flight on the Saturn V rocket.
- Not only was Apollo 8 the first trip of humans to the moon, it also marked the first pictures of Earth from deep space taken by astronauts and the first live TV coverage of the lunar surface.
History Colorado lectures in April
April 13 – Nixon Now: .
April 21 – , with Dr. Michael Neufeld.
April 27 – , founder of El Diario and co-founder of La Cucaracha newspapers.
April 28 – The sixth and final interactive discussion about race: .
