Long live Apollo 8!

[dukeboy440]

Today marks 54 years since Apollo 8 lifted off with Frank Borman, Bill Anders and Jim Lovell onboard. The first humans to travel to the moon! They also are the sole surviving intact mission crew of Apollo, Lovell and Borman also hold the honor of being the sole surviving Gemini crew still living, as they spent two weeks in Gemini 7 in 1965.

Apollo 8 is often overshadowed by Apollo 11, but we really won the space race with Apollo 8 as Russian attempts to man the moon all but stopped after Apollo 8

 

[YY1]

I met Jim Lovell at a "young person's" aeronautical theory demonstration at Wright-Patterson AFB sometime around 1977.

I remember him being pretty cool and very approachable.

We built paper airplanes of various designs and discussed different shapes required to achieve different results.

 

[ocdart]

Today marks 54 years since Apollo 8 lifted off with Frank Borman, Bill Anders and Jim Lovell onboard. The first humans to travel to the moon! They also are the sole surviving intact mission crew of Apollo, Lovell and Borman also hold the honor of being the sole surviving Gemini crew still living, as they spent two weeks in Gemini 7 in 1965.

Apollo 8 is often overshadowed by Apollo 11, but we really won the space race with Apollo 8 as Russian attempts to man the moon all but stopped after Apollo 8

Living as "Spam in a can" for two weeks in that tiny Gemini capsule? No thanks!
Sometimes being an astronaut isn't as glamorous as it sounds.

The Scoop on Space Poop: How Astronauts Go Potty

 

[jos51700]

Half of that Saturn V rocket was needed just to hoist those enormous brass balls to escape velocity.

The walls of those craft were ridiculously thin.

 

[YY1]

A lot of stuff was actually made of foil.

 

[dukeboy440]

A lot of stuff was actually made of foil.

Mylar and nickle foil on the lunar module. The command module was mostly aluminum covered in ceramic titles

 

[jos51700]

I don't have any kids or family so I could consider going to the moon or Mars.
Them sumbishes had wives and kids and still went. THAT took some confidence, knowing you're going up in a glorified balloon designed by people that weren't riding in it themselves.

Sad to say, but that's probably going to be humanities' high point. It's amazing what your hatred of Russians can drive you to accomplish.