Genesis; The Story Of Apollo 8: The First Manned Flight To Another World Zimmerman, Robert [Jim Lovell] Space

Octavo, 299pp. Black and white hardcover. Stated "first printing September 1998" on copyright page, with a full number line. In the publisher's fine dust jacket. Signed on the title page by Jim Lovell. Apollo 8, launched on December 21, 1968, was the second manned space flight mission in NASA's Apollo program and the first to leave Earth's orbit, reach the Moon, orbit it, and return safely to Earth. The three-astronaut crewâ€"Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Andersâ€"became the first humans to see the far side of the Moon with their own eyes and to witness an Earthrise, capturing the iconic photograph known as "Earthrise" during their lunar orbit. Apollo 8 orbited the Moon ten times over the course of 20 hours before returning to Earth, landing in the Pacific Ocean on December 27, 1968. This mission marked a significant milestone in human space exploration by achieving major objectives necessary for a lunar landing, demonstrating human endurance in space beyond low Earth orbit, and providing a moment of global unity through the crew's live broadcast on Christmas Eve, where they read from the Book of Genesis.