Apollo 8 Required A Leap Of Faith
By Kendall Wingrove (12/31/08)
In our 21st century world where space travel is considered routine, it's hard for younger generations to fully grasp the remarkable achievements of the pioneers who made such journeys possible. One of the riskiest and most memorable space flights was the Apollo 8 mission. Four decades later it remains a tribute to a group of courageous men and the Lord they honored during the great adventure.
It was December 1968 and as the year ended, a restless America was reeling from an unpopular war, massive protests and political assassinations. Commander Frank Borman joined James Lovell, Jr. and William Anders on the flight and these three would be tested many times. They achieved feats of staggering technical difficulty that required endurance, determination and discipline. At several key junctures during the trip, the precision involved meant the difference between life and death.
The results were historic. Apollo 8 was the first manned voyage to reach a velocity allowing escape from the gravitational field of Earth. It also was the first to enter and later escape the gravitational field of another celestial body, and the first manned voyage to return to planet Earth from another celestial body.
Despite years of planning and experience, the crew had to take leaps of faith at key moments during the mission. Had their calculations been off, even slightly, they could have flung hopelessly into outer space or even crashed into the lunar surface. Millions watching from around the globe held their breaths to see if the daring adventurers would succeed.
After launching on Dec. 21, the crew took three days to travel to the Moon. They orbited 10 times over 20 hours and the highlight was a Christmas Eve television broadcast in which they read from the Book of Genesis:
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the ways. And God said, "Let there be light and there was light."
Those words riveted many. On a world tour following the mission, Borman met with Pope Paul VI. The pontiff told the astronaut: "I have spent my entire life trying to say to the world what you did on Christmas Eve."
The broadcast was one of the most highly rated of all time. It included the first live images taken from space of the Moon's surface and the Earth. Magazines and newspapers reprinted pictures of the Earth from a distance, showing blue oceans, swirling clouds and the continents.
A photograph Anders took, known as "Earthrise," would become one of the most famous and most reproduced pictures in history. Some have called it "the most influential environmental photograph ever taken," and it has been credited with helping inspire the creation of Earth Day and the environmental movement.
Apollo 8 also played a key role in preparing for future space missions, including the first manned lunar landing by the crew of Apollo 11, less than a year later.
The trip did much more than that. The memorable images captured along the way inspired millions to contemplate the enormity of the universe and what role Earth and its inhabitants play in this vast expanse.
Like the crew of Apollo 8, each of us must prepare for the journeys that await. The creator of earth and all the other planets in our solar system has important individual missions that require precision and endurance. And even after extensive planning, we too will have to take a leap of faith before reaching our destiny and fulfilling our purpose.
Kendall Wingrove
Kendall Wingrove is a free-lance writer from East Lansing.
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