>> LISTEN, LISTEN TO THE WORDS
OF THREE MEN FLYING AROUND THE MOON.
>> NOW APPROACHING LUNAR SUNRISE AND FOR ALL
THE PEOPLE BACK ON EARTH,
THE CREW OF APOLLO 8 HAS A MESSAGE
THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEND TO YOU
>> APOLLO 8 ORIGINALLY WAS AN EARTH ORBITAL
MISSION EXERCISING A LUNAR MODULE.
BUT THE LUNAR MODULE WAS WAY BEHIND.
WE HAD INFORMATION THAT THE
RUSSIANS WERE GOING TO PUT A
MAN AROUND THE MOON PROBABLY IN
DECEMBER OF 1968.
>> THE PEOPLE IN NASA CAME UP
WITH THE IDEA OF MOVING APOLLO 8
TO A LUNAR ORBITAL MISSION.
>> WHY DON'T WE SEND THE COMMAND SERVICE
MODULE OF APOLLO 8
TO ORBIT THE MOON AND WE CAN LEARN
A LOT ABOUT THE COMMUNICATION
SYSTEM, THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM,
HOW THE MOON'S GRAVITY WOULD
AFFECT ORBITING SPACECRAFT,
LOOK FOR A SUITABLE LANDING SPOT.
>> SO WE HAD TO CONDENSE INTO
FOUR MONTHS WHAT TAKES A YEAR
TO 18 MONTHS OF TRAINING.
EVERYBODY WAS MOTIVATED,
EVERYBODY WAS DEDICATED AND THE
BASIC IDEA WAS TO BEAT THE
RUSSIANS TO THE MOON.
THAT WAS A POLITICAL GOAL AND
SET BY PRESIDENT KENNEDY, AND
WE WERE ALL DETERMINED TO MEET IT
AND TO BEAT IT.
>> APOLLO 8 DEVELOPED A LOT OF ATTENTION
IT FILLED A BIG SQUARE IN
PREPARATION FOR LATER APOLLO FLIGHT.
>> WELL, I GOT INTO THE BIG SATURN V
THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME
THAT MAN HAD ACTUALLY LAUNCHED
ON A SATURN V.
BUT I THOUGHT TO MYSELF AFTER
THE FOUR MONTHS OF HEAVY TRAINING,
I SAID I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO GO TO THE MOON.
>> THE ENGINES ARE ON.
>> 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.
>> THE SATURN V STILL IS THE
MOST POWERFUL MACHINE EVER MADE
AND FOR 17 MISSIONS IT FLEW PERFECTLY.
>> WE HAD ORBITED THE EARTH,
FIRST OF ALL, TO CHECK OUR SPACECRAFT OUT.
THEN WHEN EVERYTHING WAS FINE
AND THE SPACECRAFT LOOKED FINE TO GO TO THE MOON
WE WENT TO SPACE FOR A SECOND TIME
>> WE COULD ACTUALLY COAST ALL
THE WAY TO THE MOON.
>> AND AFTER A WHILE CAN YOU
LOOK BACK AND SEE THE EARTH
GETTING SMALLER AND SMALLER.
>> PEOPLE ON EARTH TEND TO CALL
THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON THE DARK SIDE.
THAT'S THE MISNOMER.
ON OUR FLIGHT, THE MOON WAS
BETWEEN THE EARTH AND THE SUN
AND THE FAR SIDE WAS LIT BY THE SUN.
>> AND WE SAW THE FAR SIDE,
WE WERE LIKE THREE SCHOOL KIDS
LOOKING THROUGH A CANDY STORE WINDOW.
JUST STARING
AT THE UNNAMED CRATERS AS THEY SLOWLY PASSED US BY.
WE WERE BUSY SHOOTING PICTURES
OF THE LUNAR SURFACE
FOR LANDING SITES FOR
UPCOMING LUNAR LANDINGS.
AND SUDDENLY, I LOOKED OUT THE
WINDOW, AND HERE WAS THIS
GORGEOUS ORB COMING UP, AND I
THOUGHT, HOLY MOLEY.
>> AND THERE OVER THE LUNAR LANDSCAPE WAS THE EARTH
THE EARTH WAS BEAUTIFUL.
IT WAS THE ONLY THING IN THE
WHOLE UNIVERSE THAT HAD ANY COLOR.
>> I HAD FOUGHT TO HAVE A LONG
LENS AND COLOR FILM.
I DIDN'T HAVE A LIGHT METER.
JUST BANGED OFF A DOZEN OR SO PICTURES,
CHANGING THE F-STOP EACH CLICK.
>> I PUT MY THUMB UP TO THE WINDOW OF THE SPACECRAFT
AND I COULD COMPLETELY HIDE THE
EARTH BEHIND MY THUMB.
THE EARTH IS A MERE SPECK IN
THE MILKY WAY GALAXY, LOOK WHAT
WE HAVE HERE, WATER AND AN ATMOSPHERE
ORBITING A STAR,
JUST AT THE PROPER DISTANCE TO ABSORB THAT STAR'S ENERGY.
GOD HAS GIVEN MANKIND A STAGE
UPON WHICH TO PERFORM.
HOW THE PLAY TURNS OUT IS UP TO US.
>> FOR ALL THE PEOPLE BACK ON EARTH,
THE CREW OF APOLLO 8 HAS
A MESSAGE THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEND TO YOU.
IN THE BEGINNING, GOD CREATED
THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH, AND
THE EARTH WAS WITHOUT FORM AND VOID,
AND DARKNESS WAS UPON THE FACE OF THE DEEP.
THE SPIRIT OF GOD MOVED UPON THE
THE FACE OF THE WATERS, AND GOD
SAID LET THERE BE LIGHT, AND THERE WAS LIGHT.
AND GOD SAW THE LIGHT THAT IT WAS GOOD.
FROM THE CREW OF APOLLO 8,
WE CLOSE WITH GOOD NIGHT, GOOD LUCK
A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND
GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU, ALL OF YOU ON
THE GOOD EARTH.
>> IT'S IMPORTANT FOR AMERICA
TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF SPACE EXPLORATION.
THAT DRIVES TECHNOLOGY, ONE OF THE
IMPORTANT FACETS OF THE APOLLO
PROGRAM WAS THE COORDINATION
AND THE ORGANIZATION OF THE AMERICAN INDUSTRY
TO ACHIEVE A GREAT GOAL.
WE NEED TO BE THE LEADER, NOT JUST ON EARTH, BUT IN SPACE.