Ten orbits, Earthrise and a Christmas Eve reading from Genesis

The SPS engine ignited 69 hours, 8 minutes and 16 seconds after launch — on the far side of the Moon, out of contact with Earth — and burned for four minutes and seven seconds to place the ship into orbit. The crew later called it the longest four minutes of their lives.

Over ten orbits in twenty hours, Anders photographed hundreds of images of the surface, including the future Apollo 11 landing site in the Sea of Tranquility. On the fourth orbit the crew became the first humans to witness an Earthrise over the lunar horizon — Anders grabbed colour film and captured “Earthrise,” later chosen by Life magazine as one of the hundred photographs that changed the world.

On the ninth orbit, on Christmas Eve, the crew broadcast to what was then the largest television audience in history, taking turns reading the first ten verses of the Book of Genesis. Borman closed the broadcast: “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 the good Earth.”