“Thank you Apollo 8. You saved 1968.”
The telegram received by NASA astronaut Frank Borman did not name a sender. But its unidentified author may just have been right.
55 Years Ago, Apollo 8 Astronauts Deliver Christmas Eve Message of Unity
December 24 marks the anniversary of a broadcast reading of the Book of Genesis by the mission’s crew, which reached 1 in 4 people on Earth.
Key Takeaways:
- The Apollo 8 mission provided a vital message of unity and hope during the tumultuous year of 1968, widely credited with "saving" the year by offering a shared moment of peace.
- It was a highly risky and improvised mission that achieved numerous historic "firsts," including the first crewed journey to orbit the moon and capturing the iconic "Earthrise" photograph.
- The Christmas Eve broadcast, featuring astronauts reading from the Book of Genesis to evoke a universal origin story, reached an unprecedented global audience of 1 billion, fostering a sense of shared humanity amidst global strife.
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