Apollo 8 Orbits the Moon

Date: December 24, 1968 • Location: Washington, United States

Piloted by Jim Lovell, Apollo 8 became the first human spaceflight to reach and orbit the Moon (Earthrise pictured).

James Arthur Lovell Jr. was an American astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot, and mechanical engineer. In 1968, as command module pilot of Apollo 8, he, along with Frank Borman and William Anders, became one of the first three astronauts to fly to and orbit the Moon. He then commanded in 1970 the Apollo 13 lunar mission, which, after a critical failure en route, looped around the Moon and returned safely to Earth.