Apollo 8 crew

The Apollo space program has long been celebrated for having put the first humans on the surface of the moon. But as it was unfolding, there was no guarantee of success. In 1968, in fact, time was running short on President Kennedy's bold bid to accomplish that mission by the end of the decade. In December of that year, while work continued on the lunar module that would eventually land on the moon, Apollo 8 was sent aloft to fly an interim mission to orbit the moon--and for the first time, carry humans beyond Earth's orbit.

Pictured here, from left to right, are the Apollo 8 crew: William Anders, Jim Lovell, and Frank Borman.