What was the launch date and time of Apollo 8?
Apollo 8 launched at 12:51:00 UTC on the 21st of December 1968. The Saturn V rocket used its three stages to achieve Earth orbit before performing a trans-lunar injection burn.
Questions about Apollo 8
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who were the crew members of Apollo 8 and how did they change?
Frank Borman served as Commander while William Anders took the Lunar Module Pilot role. Michael Collins suffered a cervical disc herniation in July 1968 and was replaced by Jim Lovell who had previously flown on Gemini VII and Gemini XII missions.
When did Apollo 8 splashdown occur after returning from the Moon?
Splashdown occurred at 15:51:42 UTC on the 27th of December 1968 in the North Pacific Ocean southwest of Hawaii. The command module landed upside down before an inflatable bag righted it into normal apex-up orientation forty-five minutes later.
Why was the mission plan for Apollo 8 changed from testing lunar modules to orbiting the Moon?
Engineers concluded that Lunar Module-3 would not be ready until February or March 1969 due to over one hundred defects found upon arrival. George Low proposed sending just the command module to the Moon instead which allowed testing lunar landing procedures earlier than scheduled.
What famous photograph did William Anders take during the fourth pass across the front of the Moon?
William Anders saw Earth emerging from behind the lunar horizon and called out excitedly before taking a black-and-white photograph followed by color film shots. Life magazine selected this famous color photo as one of its hundred photos of the century and credited it as inspiration for the first Earth Day held in 1970.