by With the recent death of Frank Borman, the commander of NASA’s Apollo 8 mission in 1968, attention was focused on that incredible first trip to the Moon.
It happened eight months before Apollo 11, where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin explored the surface of the moon for the first time. However, the impact of the Apollo 8 “Earthrise” picture – the view of the Earth from the moon – seems 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 the west side of the Moon. But even if they were worried, the astronauts knew it was coming.
Another unforgettable event during the mission was a reading by the crew from the Book of Genesis, which was broadcast around the world at Christmas. Detailed research I did in the NASA archives showed more clearly how much planning was behind these dramatic moments. The famous picture Earthrise, taken in a hurry, was improvised, but it was expected.
Restored land elevation
After entering the orbit of the moon, they almost missed seeing the Earth. Only on the fourth orbit, when the capsule turned about 180 degrees forward, did they notice it. Borman assured me at that moment that they were “wondering—too busy to look at the moon in the first three orbits.”
But Apollo program director of photography Dick Underwood wanted to set the record straight. He explained: “The lunar crews, including the Apollo 8 crew, spent hours being briefed on exactly how to set up the camera, what film to use … they were the most comprehensive briefings.”
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However, there were battles within NASA over which images the astronauts should focus on, with management demanding shots of the moon’s geology and possible landing sites. Dick Underwood explained: “I pushed hard for the Earthrise shot, and we impressed the astronauts he was sure of.”
Borman was joined on the mission by two other astronauts: Jim Lovell, who was the lead module pilot, and Bill Anders, who held the title of lunar module pilot. NASA had planned for Apollo 8 to test the lunar module, but it was behind schedule so the mission never took off.
At the pre-launch press conference, Borman looked forward to “
good views of the Earth from the moon” and Lovell saw “the Earth set and the Earth rise.”
The official mission plan directed the astronauts to take photographs of Earth, but only as the lowest priority. When the main moment came, the astronauts were indeed surprised, but not for long.
Anders was at a side window taking photographs of craters using a camera with black and white film when he saw the Earth rising from behind the moon. “Look at that picture over there! This is the World coming up,” Anders exclaimed.
Anders quickly took a sharp shot of Earth emerging above the moonlit sky. He and Lovell then argued briefly over who should have the color film camera, and Borman tried to calm them down.
It was Anders who took the blurry, hastily framed, overexposed color of Earthrise, which later became the image of the century. But there was a much better shot in the other camera, long ignored because it was in black and white.
That first mono-image was spot on. A restored “Earthrise” photo, recently colored by experts using the later shots as a reference, shows the spectacular view seen by the astronauts.
Here’s a shot, revealing Earth as a majestic but fragile oasis. As Lovell said: “The loneliness here is surprising… it makes us realize what you have back on Earth.” For Borman too it was “very emotional … we didn’t say anything to each other, but maybe we shared another thought I had: ‘This must be as God sees it.’
Read Genesis
In 1968, as now, space travel was seen as a scientific and technological domain. But the mission was also launched by one of the strongest Christian countries in the world, and the crew was not about to leave its cultural background behind.
NASA prided itself on the fact that, while Soviet cosmonauts were closely monitored and controlled, their own astronauts were free to speak their minds. Unusual as it seems now, they were left to decide for themselves what they would say in their historic live broadcast from lunar orbit.
Borman knew he had to come up with something special for the Christmas broadcast. A few weeks before, a press officer told him: “We expect more people to listen to your voice (during the broadcast) than anyone in history. So we want you to say something somewhat appropriate.”
Although Neil Armstrong’s “one small step” message was carefully considered inside NASA, no one at the agency knew in advance what Borman would say.
And with only two minutes left before radio contact was lost and the spacecraft disappeared behind the moon, Anders said: “The Apollo 8 crew has a message we want to send you.”
Then he read from the Book of Genesis: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth; and the Earth was without form and void.” He continued: “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
Lovell and Borman took turns to read the next verses, and Borman agreed: “Merry Christmas, and God to you all – all of you on the good Earth.”
As Apollo 8 fell out of radio contact, the earth was left to absorb the impact. “In those moments I felt the presence of the creator and the creator,” NASA’s chief flight director, Gene Kranz, later said. “I had tears on my cheeks.”
Somehow Borman and his colleagues found the perfect words to express their experience. But Borman carefully considered the task, asking a publicity friend to help with the text.
This was Simon Bourgin, a science policy officer at the US Intelligence Agency. Bourgin asked a journalist, Joe Laitin, who mentioned the assignment to his wife, Christine.
She looked in the Old Testament and suggested: “Why don’t you start first?” She recognized the initial power of the creation story in the first book of Genesis, with its evocative description of the Earth.
Borman immediately recognized that this was exactly right, and it was typed. It confirmed NASA’s confidence in him.
Although the Earthrise photograph and Genesis reading involved inspiration and a degree of freedom, there was careful planning and professionalism behind their execution.
