The recent death of Frank Borman, commander of NASA’s 1968 Apollo 8 mission, has brought attention to this incredible first journey to the Moon.
It was eight months before Apollo 11, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first explored the lunar surface. But the impact of Apollo 8’s “Earthrise” image (Earth as seen from the moon) now appears to be even greater than the impact of the first landing.
For many years, the story behind the famous Earthrise photo was that the crew was caught off guard by the blue orb rising from behind the Moon. But even if the astronauts were busy, they knew this was coming.
A memorable event during the mission was the crew reading the Book of Genesis, which was released to the world at Christmas. My detailed research in NASA archives revealed more clearly how much planning lay behind these dramatic moments. The famous Earthrise photo, a risky hastily taken, was improvised but expected.
Earthrise restored
Once in lunar orbit, they would almost be unable to see the Earth. But they noticed it on the fourth orbit, when the capsule turned 180 degrees and pointed forward. Borman confirmed to me that at that moment they were “caught off guard, too preoccupied with lunar observations in the first three orbits.”
But Dick Underwood, the Apollo program’s director of photography, was anxious to set the broader record straight. He explained: “Hours were spent briefing the lunar crew, including the Apollo 8 crew, on exactly how to set up the camera, what film to use… these briefings were very thorough.”
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But there was debate within NASA about what images astronauts should focus on, and management insisted on shots of lunar geology and potential landing sites. Dick Underwood explained: “I argued hard for a shot of Earthrise, and we convinced the astronauts that we absolutely wanted it.”
Two other astronauts joined Borman on the mission: Command module pilot Jim Lovell and lunar module pilot Bill Anders. NASA had planned for Apollo 8 to test the lunar module, but the mission did not materialize because it was behind schedule.
Borman said at the pre-launch press conference:
From Lovell to seeing “the Earth setting and the Earth rising” to “beautiful views of the Earth from the Moon”.
The official mission plan directed the astronauts to take photographs of Earth, but only as the lowest priority. When the crucial moment came, the astronauts were truly stunned, but it didn’t last long.
Anders was taking pictures of the craters in the side window using a black-and-white film camera when he saw the Earth rising from behind the moon. “Look at that picture over there! Here comes Earth,” Anders shouted.
Anders quickly took a sharp photo of the Earth emerging above the lunar horizon. Later, he and Lovell briefly argued over who should own the color film camera, while Borman tried to calm them down.
It was Anders who took the blurry, hastily framed, overexposed color photo of Earthrise that would later become known as the photo of the century. But the other camera was a much better shot, it was black and white so it was ignored for a long time.
The first mono image was very striking. A restored “Earthrise” photograph, recently colorized by experts to reference later footage, captures the stunning view seen by the astronauts.
This shot reveals Earth as a majestic but fragile oasis. As Lovell puts it: “The solitude here is awe-inspiring… It makes us realize what you’ve got in the world.” For Borman, it was also “extremely emotional… We didn’t say anything to each other, but we shared another thought that maybe I had: ‘This must be what God sees.'”
creation reading
In 1968, as now, space travel was seen as a scientific and technological field. But the mission was also sent by one of the most powerful Christianized countries in the world, and the crew had no intention of leaving their cultural background behind.
While Soviet cosmonauts were tightly monitored and controlled, it was a source of pride for NASA that its own astronauts were able to express their opinions freely. As extraordinary as it may seem now, they had to decide for themselves what to say in their historic live broadcast from lunar orbit.
Borman knew he had to come up with something special for his Christmas broadcast. A few weeks ago a press officer told him: “We think more people will listen to your voice (on broadcast) than any man in history. So we want you to say something appropriate.”
While Neil Armstrong’s “one small step” message was carefully considered at NASA, no one at the agency knew in advance what Borman would say.
Just two minutes before radio contact was lost as the spacecraft passed behind the moon, Anders said: “The crew of Apollo 8 has a message we want to send you.”
He then read from the Book of Genesis: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth; and the earth was formless and void.” He continued: “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
Lovell and Borman took over reading the next verses, and Borman signed off: “Merry Christmas and God bless you all – all on the beautiful Earth.”
When Apollo 8’s radio contact was lost, the earth was forced to absorb the blow. “In those moments, I felt the presence of creation and the creator,” NASA chief flight director Gene Kranz later recalled. “Tears were on my cheeks.”
Somehow Borman and his colleagues found the perfect words to convey their experience. But Borman had thought through the assignment carefully and asked an advertising friend to help with the text.
This was Simon Bourgin, science policy officer for the U.S. Information Agency. Bourgin also asked journalist Joe Laitin to tell his wife Christine about this mission.
He looked at the Old Testament and suggested: “Why don’t you start over?” He recognized the primordial power of the creation story, with its evocative description of the Earth in the first book of Genesis.
Borman immediately realized this was true and had it typed. He had perfectly demonstrated NASA’s trust in him.
While the Birth of the World photograph and the Creation reading involved inspiration and a degree of freedom, careful planning and professionalism lay behind their execution.