Apollo 8

Astronaut Photography from Space Helped ‘Discover Earth’

By Bob Granath | September 8, 2022

In December 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 became the first humans to leave Earth orbit and head for the Moon. They also became the first to look back at their home planet and see the entire world in one glimpse. The view they shared had an everlasting impact. In the decades since humans have looked back at their home planet from the vantage point of space, astronauts have taken stunning photographs providing a new perspective of Earth and its place in the universe.

Astronaut Has Life-Altering Moment in Christmas Spacewalk

By Bob Granath | December 22, 2021

SpaceAgeChronice.com welcomes Jeff Carr writing about his father, Jerry Carr, a U.S. Marine Corps aviator, NASA astronaut and commander of the record-shattering Skylab 4 mission in 1973 and 1974. On Christmas 1973, “Dad would have an experience that day that only a very small number of humans have ever had . . . the Earth, to himself, in a moment of reckoning, wonder and profound realization,” Jeff Carr said.

Shepard’s Flight was Crucial Step in Long Journey of Exploration

By Bob Granath | May 5, 2021

According to an ancient Chinese proverb, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” NASA is preparing to return astronauts to the Moon followed by exploration of Mars, a planet that is 121 million miles from Earth. Those journeys began 60 years ago with a single, 116-mile “step” into space by Alan Shepard on May 5, 1961.

Little Known, but Vital Designer Played Key Roles for NASA

By Bob Granath | March 30, 2020

Maxime “Max” Faget (pronounced: fah-ZHAY) was one of the most important leaders in the history of America’s space program, but relatively unknown to the general public. He designed the Mercury capsule and was a key contributor to plans for spacecraft flown during NASA’s Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle Programs.

A Bold Step: Apollo 8 Sends First Human Flight Beyond Earth

By Bob Granath | July 6, 2019

On Dec. 21, 1968, NASA’s Mission Control gave the crew of Apollo 8 approval for TLI — trans-lunar injection — permission to become the first humans to leave Earth orbit. Their destination, 234,000 miles away, was the Moon.

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