Dreaming of Space and Beyond

As we come to the end of one year and look towards the next, our thoughts turn toward the infinite—and, specifically, to the concepts of space and the beyond, and the imagination and drive that inspire creative thinkers across the world.

Along with the usual holiday cheer, this month marks a variety of space-related anniversaries—including Apollo 8, the first manned spaceship to leave the Earth's orbit, reach our Moon, and return safely to Earth. From December 21st to 27th, 1968, the three astronauts aboard that spacecraft—Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders—became the first humans to see the Earth as a whole planet and to see the far side of the Moon (while aboard, they shot the iconic Earthrise photo and even broadcast a live Christmas message back to the Earth). The following summer, man would walk on the moon for the very first time.

That spirit of exploration and discovery is so integral to our forward trajectory as a species, driving our advances in innumerable fields. We've come so far in the past 50 years; it's humbling and exciting to think what the next several decades may bring.

Earthrise, Apollo 8: This view of the rising Earth greeted Apollo 8's astronauts as they came from behind the Moon after the 4th nearside orbit. It is displayed here in its original orientation, though it is more commonly viewed with the lunar surface at the bottom of the photo.

Apollo 8's crew members photographed posing on a Kennedy Space Center simulator in their spacesuits. From left are James A. Lovell Jr., William A. Anders, and Frank Borman

The Lunar Farside: View of the lunar surface taken from the Apollo 8 spacecraft looking southward from high altitude across the Southern Sea.

Apollo 8 Reentry: This reentry photo was taken by a U.S. Air Force ALOTS (Airborne Lightweight Optical Tracking System) camera mounted on a KC-135A aircraft flown at 40,000 ft. altitude. Apollo 8 splashed down at 10:15 a.m., December 27, 1968, in the central Pacific, approximately 1000 miles South-Southwest of Hawaii.

Apollo 8 Team Recovery: A team of U.S. Navy underwater demolition swimmers prepares the Apollo 8 command module for being housed aboard the carrier U.S.S. Yorktown, the prime recovery vessel for the initial manned lunar orbital mission.

Waving Apollo 8 Astronauts Leaving the Recovery Helicopter

All images © NASA / The Commons