Apollo 8 was a historic space mission launched by NASA on December 21, 1968. It was the first crewed spacecraft to orbit the Moon, marking a significant milestone in the Apollo program. The mission's primary objective was to test the spacecraft's systems and gather data for future lunar landings. The crew consisted of astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders. They completed ten orbits around the Moon and captured iconic images, including the famous "Earthrise" photograph. Apollo 8 successfully returned to Earth on December 27, 1968, paving the way for the eventual Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969.