by The recent death of Frank Borman, commander of NASA’s Apollo 8 mission in 1968, has focused attention on that incredible first trip to the Moon.
It took place eight months before Apollo 11, where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin explored the lunar surface for the first time. However, the impact of the Apollo 8 “Earthrise” image (the view of Earth from the Moon) now appears even greater than that of the first moon landing.
For many years, the story behind the famous Earthrise photograph was that the crew was caught off guard by the blue orb rising behind the Moon. But even if they were worried, the astronauts knew it was coming.
Another unforgettable event during the mission was the crew’s reading of the Book of Genesis, broadcast to the world at Christmas. The detailed research I have conducted in NASA archives has revealed more clearly how much planning lies behind these dramatic moments. The famous Earthrise photograph, a clumsy photograph taken in a hurry, was improvised, but anticipated.
Earthrise restored
After entering lunar orbit, they barely saw the Earth. Only on the fourth orbit, when the capsule rotated 180 degrees to point forward, did they notice. Borman confirmed to me that at that time they were “caught by surprise: too busy with lunar observation in the first three orbits.”
But Apollo program director of photography Dick Underwood was eager to set the record straight. He explained: “Hours were spent with the lunar crews, including the Apollo 8 crew, briefing them on exactly how to set up the camera, what film to use…these briefings were very thorough.”
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However, there were battles within NASA over which images the astronauts should focus on, and management insisted on shots of lunar geology and possible landing sites. Dick Underwood explained, “I argued a lot for an Earthrise shot, and we made it clear to the astronauts that we definitely wanted it.”
Borman was joined on the mission by two other astronauts: Jim Lovell, who was the command module pilot, and Bill Anders, who had the title of lunar module pilot. NASA intended for Apollo 8 to test the lunar module, but it was behind schedule, so the mission did not conduct one.
At the pre-launch press conference, Borman was looking forward to receiving “
good views of the Earth from the moon” and Lovell to see “the Earth set and the Earth rise.
The official mission plan ordered astronauts to take photographs of Earth, but only as a minimum priority. When the key moment arrived, the astronauts were truly surprised, but not for long.
Anders was at a side window taking photographs of craters using a black-and-white film camera when he saw the Earth rise behind the moon. “Look at that photo over there! Here’s the Earth showing up,” Anders exclaimed.
Anders quickly took a clear photograph of the Earth rising above the lunar horizon. He and Lovell then briefly argued over who should have the color film camera, while Borman tried to calm them down.
It was Anders who took the blurry, hastily framed and overexposed color photo of Earthrise, later dubbed the picture of the century. But on the other camera was a much better shot, long ignored because it was in black and white.
That first monkey image was spot on. A restored “Earthrise” photograph, recently expertly colored using subsequent shots as reference, conveys the stunning view seen by the astronauts.
This shot reveals Earth as a majestic but fragile oasis. As Lovell reflected: “The solitude out here is awesome…it makes us realize what’s on Earth.” For Borman it was also “intensely emotional… We didn’t say anything to each other, but maybe we shared another thought I had: ‘This must be what God sees.'”
Reading Genesis
In 1968, as now, space travel was considered a scientific and technological field. But the mission was also sent through one of the most Christianized countries in the world, and the crew was unwilling to abandon their cultural background.
It was a point of pride for NASA that, while Soviet cosmonauts were closely monitored and controlled, its own astronauts were free to speak their minds. Extraordinary as it may seem now, they were left to decide for themselves what to 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 earlier, a press official told him: “We think more people will hear his voice (during the broadcast) than any man in history. So we want him to say something appropriate.”
While Neil Armstrong’s “one small step” message was carefully considered within NASA, no one at the agency knew in advance what Borman would say.
With just two minutes left until radio contact was lost as the spacecraft passed behind the moon, Anders said, “The Apollo 8 crew has a message we would like 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 charge of reading the next verses, and Borman signed: “Merry Christmas and may God bless you all, all on the good Earth.”
When Apollo 8 lost radio contact, the world had to absorb the impact. “In those moments I felt the presence of creation and the creator,” NASA flight director Gene Kranz later recalled. “Tears ran down my cheeks.”
Somehow, Borman and his colleagues found the perfect words to convey their experience. But Borman had thought carefully about the task and asked a publicist friend to help him with the text.
It was Simon Bourgin, head of science policy at the United States Information Agency. Bourgin, in turn, asked journalist Joe Laitin, who mentioned the task to his wife, Christine.
He searched the Old Testament and suggested, “Why don’t you start at the beginning?” He recognized the primitive power of the creation story in the first book of Genesis, with its evocative description of the Earth.
Borman immediately recognized this as correct and wrote it down. She had magnificently vindicated NASA’s trust in him.
While the photography of Earthrise and the reading of Genesis involved inspiration and a degree of freedom, behind their execution lies careful planning and professionalism.
