Apollo 8 Genesis Reading (December 24, 1968)

History | December 24, 2022

[Ezekiel]

Genesis 1:1-10

Apollo 8 Christmas Eve Broadcast - Genesis Reading (1968)

Bill Anders

We are now approaching lunar sunrise, and for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

Jim Lovell

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Frank Borman

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with Good Night, Good Luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you, all of you on this good Earth.

[Organic Panic]

Imagine that today. They would have all been fired and there would be riots in the streets.

[katana]

Old enough to have heard the broadcast. Spoken as they watched our blue planet, small enough to them to cover with an upraised thumb. It was truly wonderful, and the high point of an otherwise horrible year.

[Ezekiel]

It became an everlasting moment in history. Even when times look bleak, it's not possible for the message to die.

Apollo 8, December 24, 1968 -- the iconic view of Earth from photo 2383:

Earthrise

Merry Christmas!

[Allegra]

Beautiful reminder.

Thank you for posting and Merry Christmas.

[Steely Tom]

To me, this was more awe-inspiring than was Neil Armstrong’s walking on the moon, about eight months later.

[Ezekiel]

A very Merry Christmas to you and yours, Allegra.

[ground_fog]

They were sued lol but the SC dismissed it. God bless these guys, all still hanging in there mid 90s. This was my favorite NASA mission of all time. Just amazing. Check out the documentary here. Just great one The NOVA one was unbelievablly good and I can’t see to find it. Apollo’s Daring Mission

First to the Moon-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCcjmGk6rNU&t=204s

[vespa300]

Awesome......thanks.

[ground_fog]

NOVA documentary here. It is one of the best docs I have ever seen. It explains all the first of the mission-first out of earth’s orbit, first to have computer navigation, first Saturn V manned launch, first to orbit the moon,...it goes on

Apollo’s Daring Mission

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6zndf6

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks and Merry Christmas:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/NASA-Apollo8-Dec24-Earthrise.jpg

[Ezekiel]

Re: Apollos 8 and 11...

Their words and deeds work together in miraculous ways.

Enough to raise the dead — as in the Spirit of America to her rightful glory.

A most Blessed Christmas to you.

[laconic]

That reading may have done something for their longevity; all three are still alive - Anders is 89 and Borman and Lovell are both 94.

[Steely Tom]

Thank you, and a Merry Christmas to you and yours as well.

[colorado tanker]

Lovell returned to the Moon in Apollo 13 and was supposed to walk on the Moon. But things turned out a little different.

[MrLucky1966]

Lovell returned to the Moon in Apollo 13 and was supposed to walk on the Moon. But things turned out a little different.

I consider James Lovell to be the smallest minority in the world. there have been only three astronauts to have gone to the Moon twice, John Young, Eugene Cernan and James Lovell. Th first two orbited the Moon but never landed but landed on their second trip. Lovell on the other hand went twice but never landed. He is a minority of one.

[Roccus]

I remember this with greater emotion than when Neil Amstrong stepped off that ladder.

In no way could I be considered a religious person, but hearing those words at that time was the most moving television moment of my life.

[MrLucky1966]

Let me add, Lovell was the first to achieve the record of 4 spaceflights as well as on the first crew to leave Earth’s gravity.

[Ezekiel]

That crosses my mind. I wonder how they are all doing in their advanced ages.

Merry Christmas laconic!

At about this time in this great land, the little sleepers are beginning to awake, to see what Santa has left for them.

And *to* the crew of Apollo 8, we open with Good Morning, Good Luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you, all of you on this good Earth.

[Borges]

Frank Borman turns 95 today.