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A Christmas Story: “‘Round the Moon and Back”
Catherine Turner Dec 19, 2022
The Apollo 8 capsule replica on display
If you wander the main deck of the USS Yorktown CV-10, you’ll see a reproduction of the Apollo 8 capsule. Step inside, and you can experience a little of what it was like to be in a small space on a groundbreaking mission around the moon.
The Apollo 8 mission was several firsts. Frank Borman, James A. Lovell, Jr., and William Anders were the first astronauts to orbit the moon. The first to travel in deep space. The first to take a picture of the earth rise. And the first to broadcast their mission on TV.
Their broadcast to earth on Christmas eve, 1968, included a reading from the book of Genesis and a brilliant view of planet Earth.
Two days later, the USS Yorktown picked up the Apollo 8 capsule after its splash in the Pacific Ocean. Want to walk where the astronauts walked? Take a stroll down our flight deck.
You can watch an interview of Jim Lovell recounting his time on the mission here on our YKTV channel on YouTube.
And from everyone at Patriots Point – Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!