Formed in 2009, the Archive Team (not to be confused with the archive.org Archive-It Team) is a rogue archivist collective dedicated to saving copies of rapidly dying or deleted websites for the sake of history and digital heritage. The group is 100% composed of volunteers and interested parties, and has expanded into a large amount of related projects for saving online and digital history.
On Dec. 21, 1968, NASA's Apollo 8 mission launched to the moon.
Apollo 8 was the second crewed mission in NASA’s Apollo program. It was also the first mission to bring humans to the moon. It lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a Saturn V rocket.
This was the first time that a Saturn V launched with people on board. In the Apollo Command Module were astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders. The astronauts didn't land on the moon, but they flew in circles around it for a full day.
While in orbit, Bill Anders snapped a photo of Earth that he called "Earthrise," and this remains one of the most famous photographs ever taken during the Apollo program. This was also the first time anyone had seen planet Earth in its entirety from space with human eyes.
Apollo 8 Launched 1st Astronauts Around the Moon 50 Years Ago Today Despite Big Risks
Apollo 8 at 50: NASA Chief Speaks Out on a US Return to the Moon
Apollo 8 Astronaut James Lovell Looks Back On a Historic Flight Around the Moon
Apollo 8: NASA's First Crewed Trip Around the Moon in Pictures
Catch up on our entire "On This Day In Space" series on YouTube with this playlist.
Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
