Photo: NASA Kennedy Space Center · Public domain (US government)
Mission
Human Exploration · LEO
Apollo 8 was the first flight of the mighty Saturn V launch vehicle key to human exploration of the moon. The three-astronaut crew — Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders. This Mission was the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon.
What it put in orbit
| Object | Type | Orbit | Globe |
|---|---|---|---|
| APOLLO 8 1968-118A | Payload | re-entered 1968-12-27 | |
| SATURN 5 R/B 1968-118B | Rocket body | orbits the Sun |
COSPAR ID 1968-118 (data from GCAT, J. McDowell, CC BY 4.0). Orbits from the CelesTrak satellite catalogue (perigee × apogee, inclination).