Which spacecraft first carried humans to the Moon and back?

Apollo 8 was the first spacecraft to carry humans around the Moon and back to Earth.

NASA’s Apollo 8 mission launched on 21 December 1968 with astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders aboard. The crew became the first humans to leave low Earth orbit, travel to another world, and orbit the Moon.

Apollo 8 entered lunar orbit on 24 December 1968 and completed ten orbits before beginning its return journey. During the mission, the crew photographed the Earth rising above the lunar horizon, producing the celebrated “Earthrise” image. They also broadcast a Christmas Eve reading from the Book of Genesis.

The mission was a major step toward the planned lunar landing. Apollo 11 achieved that landing in July 1969, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the Moon. Apollo 8 itself carried no lunar-landing module; its mission tested the command and service module in deep space and lunar orbit.