1968 was probably a year a lot of Americans didn't want to remember. It was the year of the Tet Offensive and the Pueblo had been seized by North Korea. Then there was the B-52 crash in Greenland which sent hydrogen bombs careening across the landscape.
It was also the year of Apollo 8!
Known as the Apollo mission to first reach the far (dark) side of the moon, this mission included "prep" for the later Apollo flights to come. This included examination of potential landing sites for the missions to follow:
"... One of the crew's major tasks was reconnaissance of planned future landing sites on the Moon, especially one in Mare Tranquillitatis that would be the Apollo 11 landing site. The launch time of Apollo 8 had been chosen to give the best lighting conditions for examining the site..."
(Source: Wikipedia-Apollo 8)
This mission also was the first time that astronaut sickness was experienced, causing some concern at mission control. The astronauts also saw their first "Earthrise." Labeled a success, this event provided a solid step for progress in the Apollo program. Hit the links below for more details, movies and background information. Now, does anybody have any Tang?
Have a great Friday! See you tomorrow!
Links:
Google Video Link
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