Apollo 8 was the first crewed mission to carry humans around the Moon in December 1968.
NASA launched Apollo 8 on December 21, 1968, with Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders aboard. The mission was originally planned as a lower-Earth-orbit test, but NASA changed its objective to a lunar mission because of schedule and political pressure.
The spacecraft entered lunar orbit on December 24 and made ten orbits before returning to Earth. During the mission, the crew photographed Earth rising above the lunar horizon, producing the famous Earthrise image.
Apollo 8 did not land on the Moon. Apollo 10 later rehearsed the landing sequence without touching down, while Apollo 11 completed the first lunar landing in 1969. Apollo 8’s success demonstrated that humans could travel to the Moon, navigate in lunar orbit, and return safely.