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 first explored the moon’s surface. However, the impact of Apollo 8’s ‘Earthrise’ photo – the view of the Earth from the moon – now seems even greater than that of the first landing.
For years, the story behind the famous Earthrise photo was that the crew was caught off guard by the blue orb rising from behind the moon. But even as they 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 to the world at Christmas. Detailed research I have conducted in NASA’s archives has revealed more clearly the level of planning behind these dramatic moments. The famous Earthrise photo, a shaky photo taken in a hurry, was improvised, but anticipated.
Earthrise restored
After entering lunar orbit, they nearly missed seeing Earth. It wasn’t until the fourth orbit, when the capsule turned 180 degrees to point forward, that they noticed it. Borman confirmed to me that at that point they were “surprised – too busy with lunar observations of the first three orbits.”
But the director of photography for the Apollo program, Dick Underwood, was keen to set the record straight. He explained: “Hours were spent with the lunar crews, including the Apollo 8 crew, briefing on exactly how to set up the camera, what film to use… these briefings were very comprehensive.”
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However, there were battles within NASA over which images the astronauts should focus on, with management pushing for shots of lunar geology and potential landing sites. Dick Underwood explained, “I pushed hard for an Earthrise recording, and we convinced the astronauts that we absolutely wanted it.”
Borman was accompanied on the mission by two other astronauts: Jim Lovell, the command module pilot, and Bill Anders, who held the title of lunar module pilot. NASA intended for Apollo 8 to test the lunar module, but it was behind schedule, so the mission didn’t last one.
At the press conference prior to the launch, Borman had looked forward to “
good views of the earth from the moon” and Lovell to seeing “the earth set and the earth rise.”
The official mission plan instructed the astronauts to take pictures of Earth, but only on the lowest priority. When the key moment arrived, the astronauts were indeed taken by surprise, but not for long.
Anders was standing at a side window taking pictures of craters using a camera with black and white film when he saw the Earth rising behind the moon. ‘Look at that picture there! This is where the earth comes up,” Anders exclaimed.
Anders quickly snapped a sharp photo of the Earth rising over the lunar horizon. He and Lovell then briefly argued over who could have the color film camera, while Borman tried to calm them down.
It was Anders who took the blurry, hastily framed, overexposed color photograph of Earthrise, later called the image of the century. But the other camera showed a much better shot, which was ignored for a long time because it was in black and white.
That first mono image was perfect. A restored “Earthrise” photo, recently colorized by experts using the later images as a reference, captures the stunning sight the astronauts witnessed.
This shot reveals the Earth as a majestic yet fragile oasis. As Lovell mused, “The solitude here is awe-inspiring… it makes us realize what you have on earth.” For Borman, too, it was “intensely emotional… We didn’t say anything to each other, but maybe we shared another thought I had: ‘This must be what God sees.'”
The Genesis reading
In 1968, just like today, space travel was seen as a scientific and technological domain. But the mission also came from one of the most heavily Christianized countries in the world, and the crew had no intention of leaving its cultural background behind.
It was a point of pride at NASA that, while Soviet cosmonauts were closely monitored and controlled, their own astronauts were free to express their opinions. As extraordinary as it seems now, they were allowed 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 beforehand, he was told by a press officer: “We think more people will listen to your voice (during the broadcast) than that of any man in history. That’s why we want you to say something appropriate.”
Although 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 to go before radio contact was lost as the spacecraft passed behind the moon, Anders said, “The crew of Apollo 8 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 over to read the next verses, and Borman signed off: “Merry Christmas, and God bless you all – all of you 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’s chief flight director Gene Kranz later recalled. “There were tears on my cheeks.”
Somehow, Borman and his colleagues found the perfect words to convey their experience. But Borman had thought carefully about the assignment and asked a friendly publicist to help with the text.
This was Simon Bourgin, science policy officer at the US Information Agency. Bourgin in turn asked a journalist, Joe Laitin, who told the task to his wife Christine.
She looked at the Old Testament and suggested, “Why not start at the beginning?” She recognized the primal power of the creation story in the first book of Genesis, with its evocative description of the earth.
Borman immediately saw that this was correct and had it typed up. He had excellently demonstrated NASA’s confidence in him.
While inspiration and a degree of freedom were involved in the Earthrise photo and Genesis reading, behind its execution lay careful planning and professionalism.