The Space Race was a technological competition between the United States and the Soviet Union in demonstrating superiority in aerospace capabilities, including artificial satellites launches, robotic space probes to the Moon, Venus, and Mars, and human spaceflight in low Earth orbit and ultimately landing on the Moon. This blog features my collection of US and Soviet Union space events on covers and press photos.
1968-12-21 USA Apollo 8
Apollo 8 Heritage Crafts cachet launch cover, with a Kennedy Space Center machine cancel dated December 21, 1968, the day that Apollo 8 was launched on its historic mission to the moon. Signed by Frank Borman, Bill Anders and James Lovell. - RegencyStamps
Apollo 8, the first manned spaceflight to the Moon, was launched on December 21, 1968. Frank Borman, James A. Lovell, Jr., and William A. Anders became the first men to travel beyond earth orbit to another body in the solar system.
Photo: The Apollo 8 moon mission crew - Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders.
Photo: Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders show off their insignia for Apollo during news conference on December 7,
1968.
Apollo 8 commemorative cover with a printed cachet of the mission insignia and official NASA cachet, postmarked at Kennedy Space Center on the launch day of the mission. Signed by James Lovell, William A. Anders and Frank Borman. Crew-emblem signed covers are seldom seen. - RRAuction
Photo: Flight path of the Apollo 8 Lunar Mission.
TWA Apollo 8 launch cover given to employee, accompany with a letter.
Photo: Apollo 8 crew at breakfast before their historic flight on December 21, 1968.
Photo: Apollo 8 crew suited up for the launch, December 21, 1968.
Photo: Launch of Apollo 8 on December 21, 1968, the first manned spaceflight to the Moon.
Photo: Staff at the Recovery Coordinators room at Manned Spacecraft Center monitoring the flight of Apollo 8 shortly after launch.
Photo: Apollo 8 crew photographed this view of the Earth shortly after the spacecraft began the translunar portion of its lunar orbit mission.
Photo: Television transmission from the Apollo 8 spacecraft while the crew on the way to the moon.
Photo: Apollo 8 view of full moon.
Photo: Crater Langrenus photographed by Apollo 8 at an altitude of 150 miles.
Apollo 8 First Manned Lunar Orbit (Space City Cover Society) cover, postmarked Houston, December 24, 1968, signed by Frank Borman, James Lovell & William Anders. On 24 December 1968, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders became the first humans to enter into orbit around the Moon. They orbited ten times, and transmitted one of the most watched TV broadcasts in history. A few hours later, the crew performed the first-ever Trans-Earth injection (TEI) burn, to blast the Apollo 8 spacecraft out of lunar orbit and on to a trajectory back to the Earth. - RegencyStamps
Photo: Earthrise photographed by William Anders on December 24, 1968. Signed by William Anders.
Deep Space Network Operations Control Center at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.
Photo: "THIS IS HOW THE MOON LOOKED to viewers on earth as Apollo 8 spaceflight televised the first pictures of the east part of the front side during the orbit of the body. The craft was passing between 165 to 170 miles above the surface of the moon when the pictures were taken. Visible are the surface craters. AP Wirephoto. December 24, 1968"
First live TV pictures from the lunar surface. Cover postmarked at Cape Canaveral on December 24, 1968.
Photo: View of the moon at an altitude of 69 miles. Frank Borman said the moon "certainly would not appear to be a very inviting place to live or work.".
First live television transmission from orbit of the moon, postmarked at Cape Canaveral on December 24, 1968.
Photo: Live broadcast from Apollo 8 on Christmas Eve, 1968. Bill Anders began reading from the book of Genesis, "In the beginning, God created heaven and earth, ...", when Apollo 8 flew over the Sea of Crisis.
Photo: Apollo 8 capsule splashdown in the Pacific on December 27, 1968.
Photo: Apollo 8 crew aboard the recovery ship USS Yorktown.
Beck printed cachet cover B770 signed by James Lovell and Frank Borman.
Photo: Apollo 8 spacecraft recovered by USS Yorktown.
USS Yorktown hand cancel is rare on Apollo 8 recovery ship cover. (Below) Signed by Richard Korth and wife, Helbe Korth. Richard Korth was involved in the Apollo 8 recovery operation that took place on the USS Yorktown.
Photo: "APOLLO 8 SPACECRAFT, which went to the moon and returned, is behind the three astronauts aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown. The three spacemen inspected the craft after it was lifted out of the Pacific Ocean. From left are James A. Lovell Jr., William A. Anders and Frank Borman. AP WIREPHOTO via radio from USS Yorktown, December 27, 1968."
Photo: James Lovell reading a message of congratulations while on the USS Yorktown carrier.
Apollo 8 recovery operations were directed from the Recovery Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center, supported by the Pacific Recovery Control Center, Kunia, Hawaii.
Photo: The Apollo 8 crew were in a happy mood while undergoing debriefing at the manned spacecraft center in Houston on December 31, 1968.
USS Yorktown recovery ship's cover postmarked on return to port, Jan 9, 1969.
Photo: William Anders describing the trip to the moon at news conference, January 9, 1969.
Photo: James Lovell presenting the "Earthrise" photo to President Johnson, January 9, 1969.
Photo: Frank Borman presenting the "Earthrise" photo to Rome's Mayor, Rinaldo Santini, on February 13, 1969.
