Apollo 8 was the first human spaceflight mission to leave Earth & voyage to another celestial body, The Moon.

Aboard were Astronauts:
Commander - Frank Borman (Gemini 7)
Command Module Pilot - Jim Lovell (Gemini7, Gemini 12, Apollo 13)
Lunar module Pilot - William Anders

They were the first human beings to see the earth as a whole & the moon's near & far sides close-up with their own eye's.

On December 24, 1968 they rounded the Moon for the ninth time, & than their second television transmission began in what was the most watched television broadcast at the time.

Borman introduced the crew, followed by each man giving his impression of the lunar surface and what it was like to be orbiting the Moon, than the crew of Apollo 8 read in turn from the Book of Genesis as they orbited the moon. William Anders, Jim Lovell, and Frank Borman recited verses 1 through 10, using the King James Version text.

William Anders
"We are now approaching lunar sunrise and, for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

Jim Lovell
"And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Frank Borman
"And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas -- and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth."

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