Christmas Eve and Apollo 8

Kennedy Space Center 2014

Dad's Naval Academy class holds small yearly reunions at various locations around the country. This year we traveled to Cocoa Beach on Florida's east coast. The location immediately brings to mind "I Dream of Jeannie", astronaut Tony Nelson and Barbara Eden in her jeannie outfit. Like the real life astronauts of the time, Major Nelson blasted off from Kennedy Space Center. One of those real life astronauts was a member of the USNA class of 1955, so unsurprisingly a visit to the space center was a part of the reunion. In one of those could we have timed it any better moments, the exhibition centered on the 1968 Apollo 8 mission in which astronauts Frank F. Borman, II, James A. Lovell, Jr. and USNA ’55 graduate William A. Anders.  

I didn't like taking pictures even at xmas

Apollo 8 was the first manned mission to fly around the moon. It was fascinating to hear the audio from that mission as an adult while reflecting back to my memories of the time. Daddy worked with the Air Force on their space program, so different things were highlighted and celebrated than in most American homes. This flight is a perfect example, my memories center on one aspect of the flight. As the crew began their circle around the moon edging to the back side, I remember my daddy worrying about whether everything would go right and if Bill and his buddies would reappear and re-establish contact with NASA. Daddy worrying about anything was not something my six year old self had experienced, so I knew something very serious was happening. Thankfully they did navigate the spaceship back to the light. All was right with my daddy, his friend and the world so it was time to get back to what matters most to six year olds at that time of year, Christmas!

Meanwhile, there was an important mission still taking place in space. Memorializing the aforementioned feat of flying around the moon, to once again see earth, Bill Anders took one of the most famous pictures ever taken “earthrise”. Rather than taking apart the framed autographed copy off my wall, this one is swiped from the internet.

Besides the Earthrise picture, the part of the mission most Americans remember is the Christmas Eve transmission from the astronauts as they read from the Book of Genesis. So in closing on this Christmas Eve 46 years later I leave you with their transmission, wishing all a Merry Christmas.