On December 21, 1968, Apollo 8 lifted off on its historic mission, the first time a manned spacecraft journeyed beyond Earth orbit and traveled around the moon. The mission is also famous for the historic “Earthrise” photograph and the reading from the Book of Genesis as the three astronauts orbited the moon on Christmas Eve. Here’s a look at images of the mission from the archives of NASA.

The prime crew of the Apollo 8 mission stand beside the Apollo Mission Simulator at the Kennedy Space Center, November 13, 1968. From left: Mission commander Frank Borman, lunar module pilot William A. Anders, and command module pilot James A. Lovell Jr.Mission Commander Frank Borman was an an Air Force pilot and flight instructor before joining NASA as part of Astronaut Group 2 (the “New Nine”) in 1962. He previously flew as command pilot on Gemini 7 in 1965. Borman died in 2023.Lunar Module Pilot William A. Anders was an Air Force pilot before joining NASA as part of Astronaut Group 3 in 1963. Apollo 8 was his first and only space flight. Anders died in 2024.Command Module Pilot James A. Lovell, Jr. was a Navy pilot and test pilot before joining NASA as part of Astronaut Group 2 in 1962. Lovell previously flew as pilot on Gemini 7 in 1965 and command pilot on Gemini 12 in 1966. He later commanded the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. Lovell died in 2025.