Apollo 8 begins the first US mission to orbit the Moon

December 21, The launch of Apollo 8 begins the first US mission to orbit the Moon.

On December 21, 1968, the Apollo 8 spacecraft became the first human to orbit the moon, and the first to leave low-Earth orbit and travel back. The crew, which included Frank Borman, Bill Anders, and Jim Lovell, orbited the moon 10 times over 20 hours, and then landed in the Pacific Ocean on December 27, 1968. 

Author: spirit