3 MEN FLY AROUND THE MOON
ONLY 70 MILES FROM SURFACE ;
Astronauts Examine
Lonely Place;Read From Genesis
By JOHN NOBLE WILFORDThe York Times
Associated PressCapt . James A. Lovell Jr.Frank Borman Maj. William A. Anders
dirty beach sand with lots
footprints on it " and said it" looks like plaster of Paris.
At about 9:30 P.M. the astro
nauts began their second andlast television show from lunarorbit . It ran some 30 minutesand showed the bright moonin a pitch black sky, outsidethe spacecraft window .
Earth Like on 'Oasis
Colonel Borman described
the moon as a vast lonely and
forbidding sight," adding thatit was " not a very inviting
place to live or work .
Captain Lovell saw the earthas a " grand oasis in the big
vastness of space."Major Anders was most im
pressed by the lunar sunriseand sunsets .
As the telecast neared its
end Colonel Borman said
" Apollo has a message foryou . " With that, Major Anders
began reading the openingverses from the Book of
esis about creation of the
earth.
" In the beginning, MajorAnders read , "God created the
heaven and the earth .
" And the earth was withoutform and voice ; and darkness
was upon the face of the
deep
HOUSTON , Wednesday , Dec.25 The three astronauts of
Apollo 8 yesterday became thefirst men to orbit the moon .Early today after flying 10times around that desolate
realm of dream and scientific
mystery , they started their return to earth
They fired the spacecraft'smain rocket engine at 1:10 A.M.to kick them out of lunar orbit
Excerpts from messages toand from Apollo Page 36.
and to carry them toward asplashdown in the Pacific Oceanon Friday
Through the static of 231,000
Apollo 8 swungaround from behind the moonand started for earth, one ofthe astronauts dispelled anydoubts, saying Please be informed there is a Santa Claus."
57 - Hour Return TripIt would be a 57 -hour return
trip from the most far -reaching
voyage of the space age thus
far of any other previousage. The astronauts had seen ,as no other men had , the ancient lunar craters , plains andrugged mountains fromascloseas 70 miles.
At 4:59 A.M. yesterday ,about 20 hours before the return trip Frank Borman ofthe Air Force, Capt. JamesLovell Jr. of the Navy and Maj.William A. Anders of the AirForce, swept into an orbit ofthe moon by firing the spacecraft's main rocket. This occurred after they flew aroundthe Icading edge of the moonand were directly behind theearth's only natural satellite .
got it ! got it!"exclaimed mission commentator of the National Aeronauticsand Space Administration asthe spacecraft emerged frombehind the moon 24 minuteslater, and was clearly flying asafe and smooth orbit .
Businesslike Report
The calm and laconic Apolloexplorers, however were all
business. Captain Lovell's firstmessage to earth was simply :
" ahead , Houston. Apollo
8. Burn complete. Our orbit is169.1 by by 60.5 . "
The astronauts flew twice
around the moonshaped orbit , dropped toa circular orbit nearly 70 miles
the craters.
plains and rugged mountains of
the lunar surface.
As they beamed their firstlive television from !Christmas Eve morning , theydescribed the surface of themoon as a colorless gray " like
Captain Lovell then took up
with the verse beginning . AndGod called the light day , andthe darkness He called night.
Colonel Borman closed the
reading with the verse thatread:
" And God called the dry landEarth; and the gathering together of the water called HeSeas : and God saw that it wasgood.
Sends Holiday GreetingsAfter that Colonel
signed off , saying:
Good by , good night. MerryChristmas. God bless all of youall of you on the good earth . "
S. Lunney , one of theflight directors here toldporters earlier , " have a
completely go spacecraft ."George M. Low , the space
manager at the MannedSpacecraft , said he was
altogether happy" with themission - most ambitiousand daring thus far in the nation's $24- billion Apollo projectto land men on the moon nextyear
Although the mission'swas not primarily scientif
ic, Dr. John Dietrich of thespace center's geology and geochemistry branch , said that thetelevision pictures and astroContinued on Page36 Column
craft
above ancient
TheNewJork TimesPublished : December 25 , 1968
Copyright The New York Times
3 Astronauts Orbit Moon 70 Miles Above Surface and Then Head for the Earth
WE GOT IT IS CRYOF HAPPY NASA
Reports Seeing
Lonely, Place
From Book of Genesis
in
Continued From Page 1 Col. 8
naut descriptions had "strated their ability to observefrom the spacecraft to a degreeI think surprised most of us.
The astronauts ' color moviesandstillpictures, expected tobe the most spectacular andmost valuable all the pic
, will be brought back forprocessing and analysis by scientists. Many of the pictureswere taken of a site in the Sea NASA United Press International
SMILE OF SATISFACTION : Glynn Lunney director, watching the initial telecast from Apollo after it went into its moon orbit . Scene is the control center in Houston.of Tranquility where
astronauts may land next year .
The lunar orbiting missionthe second manned flight of theApollo project is expected tobe followed by an earth -orbitingflight in Februaryor Marchto test the lunar landing vehicle. The first landing on themoon could come as early asnext June
Apollo historic voyageround and round the mooncame about 69 hours after thespacecraft was launched by aSaturn 5 rocket at Cape Kennedy , Fla. last Saturday morn
spacecraft was falling
faster and faster toward themoon's vicinity, having crossedfrom earth's to the moon'ssphere of gravitational influencewhen the astronauts were more
than 214,000 miles away fromearth
To make a fine correctionof their aim the astronautsfired the spacecraft's smallmaneuvering rockets . Groundcontrollers, fearing some of theApollo computers navigationdatamight be incorrect , radioed a new set of numbers into the instrument's memoryunit .
Then , Maj. Gerald Carr ofthe Marine Corps, the astronautacting as capsule communicator in the control room , radioed:
" Apollo , you are ridingthe best bird we can find ."
" Thanks a lotMajor Anders replied. " We'll
see you on the other side. "At 4:49 A.M. as the space
craft curved behind the moonthe signals died out . Apollowas out of range of the spaceagency's three deep -spacetracking antennas - California , Spain and Australia .This was 10 minutes before
the spacecraft's 20,500 poundthrust main rocket was supposed to fire themdown and dropping them intolunar orbit. The rocket issituated in the aft end of thespacecraft's 22 - foot - long equipment unit, called the servicemodule The crew
compartment the commandmodule, is only 11 feet long.
Engine Fires on Schedule
the engine failed to fire,
the astronauts would merelyloop around the moon's back
side, without going into orbitand then whip backto earth.
But the engine ignited on
schedule, at 4:59 A.Mfired slightly more than four
minutes. The engine was pointing toward moon at an
so that the firing actedas an explosive brake, slowingthe spacecraft from a speed of
5,758 miles an hour to 3,643
miles an hourIt was 20 minutes more be
fore flight controllers herecould know if they had an orbiting spacecraft . They waitedin tense silence .
Then came a trickle of dataindicating that the spacecraft
was emerging andworkingwell. Finally a long minutelater, there was a crackle ofsound over the voice communication circuit
Captain Lovell was talking .He was ever so matter of fact ,the pilot first, leaving anypoetry for later" ahead Houston Apollo8. Captain Lovell said. " Burn
complete . Our orbit is 109.1byl60.5 .
Happy to Get Message crater Langrenus , one of many can see the long parallel faults their second orbit the astro some 4.5 billion to 5 -billion Passing over the Sea of Fer- slight but puzzling changes .
craters with peaks rising from of Gaudibert and runAmid the jubilation from the
nauts aimed their 4.5 - pound years old . Since the moon hasStarting out in a circular orbit
through themare ) materialthe centerof their floors. Theytility forthe second time, Major
television camera on the mooncontrol room Major Carr ac
no atmosphere and no surface Anders took pictures with his of 69.8miles Apollo woundnext flew over the broad plain right into the highland mate- and transmitted
knowledged the message:their first water face has not unde 16 -mm . He de- up sagging to nearly 68 miles
rial.called the Sea of Fertility
" 8 this is Houston.7:29pictures. This began at
Faults areat a low point and rising togone same erosion as the scribed the sea as a darker
When asked by ground conRoger. 60.5 . Good to
cracks in earth's has brown than he had expected. nearly 73 miles at a high point
trollers what " the old moon lunar surface produced At first the light was toohear your voice. "
While in orbit the astronautsBut through the ages it has
Flight controllers could notstresses of unknown origin .lookslike." Captain Lovell be
The numbers were the altibright with the sun directly immediately explain thisshot some 1.200 still pictures
been peppered withBy then Apollo had passedgan describing the sights un. overhead. The first crater they
tude of their moon orbit givenmany of them in color, with a ency , which was being studied .
and rent with volcanic erupover much of the area looked down on was an unfolding below :in nautical miles. It translates
It might be related to the70 . Hasselblad camera , astions, presumably the primaryof the moon and was reaching" The moon is essentially
named one Brandto about 194.5 statute miles at
well as movies and the moon's gravitational anomalies.sources of the craters .
the of Tranquility , an evengray color . like
after Vance D.Brand . He is anthe highest point , which would
vision Whennight fell here and aIn the the astronauts
broader plain on theright sideplaster of Paris or sort of
be on the frontof the moon,
astronaut acting as capsuleof the moon , as from
bright quarter moon shone intook pictures along a path run On one orbit Major Anders
communicator during the nightgrayish beach sand. We can see
and 69.6 miles at the low point,
the sky. mission controlearth.
let the movie run forning about 550 miles. A single
quite a bit of detail .on the back side . With the sun close to
commented to Apollo 8 thatpictureusually covered anarca
the completed two - hour revoluThroughout their orbit the" The of Fertility doesn't
Flight controllers and the
there is a moon outtion , pictures at
the horizon the astronautsstand out as well here as it175 miles wide.
astronauts called many of thethere .
frame a second . He also took
astronauts always in naudoes back on earth .
were able to make out more After about 10 minutes thesmall unnamed craters on theThere's
BormanColonel replied .
tical miles. These figures details , especially cnhancingpictures of the terminator be
not as much contrast between astronauts signed off theirback side hy the names of " Now were just saying thatand night .
reporters into that and the surroundingtheir perception of depth and cast promising to resume it on
friends , associates and themthere's a beautiful carth out
statute miles . The subsequent orbits wereheight on the lunar surface.craters. The craters are all selves. The craters Borman their ninth orbit. The show
.As the astronauts emerged fairly . The astronauts
rounded off . There's quite aThis was the they stopped asLovell and lay just their spacecraft
and took a turn at some shortIt depends on your point of
from around the casternpassed over Smyth's and
of them are wanted it. For on the Sea south of the equator near where . the groundnaps. continued to take
newer. Many of them look likeof themoon
Tranquility lies of five the back of the moonprominent craters, Gilbert controller
color pictures , and also pracward near the cquator the sun
andsites being considered for thethe round ones and the front begins . During the voyage
look like they were hit bywas shining high overhead . manned lunar landing plannedticed sighting landmarks used
Apollo officials said the cra The complained the command
of its slow rotationfor navigation .for next year The primary
projectiles ofagain that three of their fivenames were in no way
er did most of the piloting
purpose of the Apollo mission official, merely handy ways tosome sort .windows were hazy From the tracking data ,
the moon's daytimes and nightwhile Captain Lovell navigated
" Langrenus is quite a huge is to take detailed pictures oftimes both last 14 days . Most
identify controllers have noticed thatclouding somewhat their view and Major Anders was camerathe moon .
.crater. It's got a central cone
the area to help future astroof the moon's back side and thethe spacecraft tended to man
to it. The walls of the craterAn analysis by engineers on
nauts steer to landing.castern edge of the side facing
when it the faDuring the Major news conference heremous crater Copernicus .
are terraced , about six or sevencarth are now in sunlight Much
It's about impossible to the ground indicated that theAnders , who cam This was attributed to thecontrollers were asked
different terraces on the way problem probably lay in the
of the center part of the moon'smiss. " Captain Lovell assured
cra described the scenic :
what emotional reaction the
flight controllers . " Very easy rubberized caulking materialdown .
face partly illuminated nowThe color of the moon
fact , recently noted , that under astronauts experienced on hethe moon's surface there areused to the windows '
by the carth shine. to out.Some '
like a very whitish gray
ing the first men to aroundThey that the scattered lumps of material of
The astronauts ' first concern The then beach with lots offlewthe moon and see it from
Captain Lovell went on to greatercreates the giving ! density A slightly
over the terminator - the pointwas not the moon but a radia .
footprints in it . Some of these
statementsdescribe two craters in the of contaminat
daylight changestor in the spacecraft's coolinglikecraters
greater gravitational emotion
FertilitySeawin .
darkness . in that striking concrete creatingexerted at those
system . All the water had evapold
this replieddows were sealed different The
dust. "
orated , and had to be replenfriends Messier and Pickering.
arca reported, quite
" say wasno trou
sharpof fubilation exultation
He rays light material Captain Lovell then reported But the areThen the
any other word I can think
extending out from Pickering'sBut beyond , with the of what appears enrefully so that
ported that the thatbe very small
of that would synonymous .carthshine , it and
down to see the crater rim the window willhave these little white
This is something they havemore to make any
" Now coming upon themoonwas came to expect many months
landmarks on the surface. rays radinting from them the warming sun during theOne of the first major lunar
ind more cratersColombo and Guten- After moving around the The moon is in light being the orbits that the
fcatures they spotted was the Major Anders said . " We side and reappearing in about the same age as carth- underwent they
A.M.
shift .
saw and
The York TimesPublished : December 25 1968
Copyright The New York Times
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