On this day in space! Dec. 24 1968 Apollo 8 crew capture 'Earthrise' image

On Xmas Eve 1968, NASA astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders became the first humans to orbit another world as the Apollo 8 mission entered lunar orbit.

The capsule and crew made ten orbits of the moon on Dec. 24 before heading home on Christmas morning. In the process, they captured arguably the most famous image ever taken from space: the Earth rising from the limb of the moon. This came to be known as "Earthrise."

As millions listened worldwide, the Apollo 8 astronauts relayed a message back to Earth, reading from the book of Genesis, which they chose because it serves as the foundation of many religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. They closed the 2-minute message by wishing "good night, good luck, and Merry Christmas to all on the good Earth."

The Apollo 8 astronauts found themselves around the moon on Christmas Eve 1968 due to a change in NASA's plans. This was necessitated by John F. Kennedy's pledge to land on the moon by the end of the decade made to Congress in 1961. By '68, time was running out on the promise, with delays on the lunar module slowing the Apollo program.

In light of this, NASA made the bold decision to send Borman, Lovell, and Anders all the way to the moon as the first crewed flight of the massive and powerful Saturn V rocket sans a lunar module. During the mission, which launched on Dec. 21, 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts also captured the historic "Earthrise" photograph.

On Christmas morning, the crew left lunar orbit with Lovell, signaling mission control that the journey back to earth had begun with the words: "Roger, please be informed there is a Santa Claus.”

The crew safely splashed down in the Pacific on Dec. 27, 1968.

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