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The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20080219204538/http://history.nasa.gov:80/SP-350/ch-9-5.html

Apollo Expeditions to the Moon

CHAPTER 9.5

LIFTING FROM A SEA OF FLAME

In the pink dawn of December 21 a quarter million persons lined the approachesto Cape Kennedy, many of them having camped overnight. At 7:51, amid a noisethat sounded from three miles away like a million-ton truck rumbling over a corrugatedroad, the first manned Saturn V, an alabaster column as big as a naval destroyer,lifted slowly, ever so slowly, from the sea of flame that engulfed Pad 39-A. Theupward pace quickened as the first stage's 531,000 gallons of kerosene and liquidoxygen were thirstily consumed, and in 2 minutes 34 seconds the big drink wasfinished, whereupon the second stage's five J-2 engines lit up. S-II's 359,000 gallonsof liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen boosted the S-IVB and CSM for 6 minutes10 seconds to an altitude of 108 miles. After the depleted S-II fell away, the S-IVB,this time the third stage, fired for 2 minutes 40 seconds to achieve Earth orbit. Exceptfor slight pogo during the second-stage burn, Commander Borman reported all wassmoothness.

A photo of Apollo astronauts,Anders,Lovell, and Borman inside a simulator

Intently watching the dials above them, the crewof Apollo 8, Anders , Lovell, Borman, left to right,rehearse for their lunar orbit mission inside a simulator at the Kennedy Space Center. Simulationwas a central feature of the training givenflight crews and mission controllers.

A picture illustrating the path of Apollo 8 about the Earth and Moon

Like a whirling dervish, the path of Apollo 8about the Earth and Moon spanned seven daysand well over half a million miles. Ten lunarrevolutions, at distances as close as 60 miles, weremade. Translunar trip takes about 20 percentlonger than the return trip because going out onehas to overcome the stronger gravity of the Earthbut can capitalize on it coming back. Not shownis the solar orbit trajectory taken by the burnedS-IVB stage.

During the second orbit, at 2 hours 27 minutes, CapCom Mike Collins sang out"You are go for TLI" (translunar injection), and 23 minutes after that Lovell calmlysaid, "Ignition". The S-IVB had restarted with a long burn over Hawaii that lasted5 minutes 19 seconds and boosted speed to the 24,200 mph necessary to escape thebonds of Earth. "You are on your way", said Chris Kraft, from the last row of consolesin Mission Control, "you are really on your way". The anticlimactic observation of theday came when Lovell said, "Tell Conrad he lost his record". (During Gemini 11 PeteConrad and Dick Gordon had set an altitude record of 850 miles.) After the burn theS-IVB separated and was sent on its way to orbit the Sun.

A photo of Flight Director for Apollo 8,Cliff Charlesworth, at his console

Brightly lit panel lights and screens confront Green Team Flight Director for Apollo 8, Cliff Charlesworth, at his console in the Mission Control Room in Houston.The radio signal between here and the Moon took three seconds roundtrip.

In Mission Control early in the morning of December 24 the big center screen,which had carried an illuminated Mercator projection of the Earth for the past threeand one-half years - a moving blip always indicated the spacecraft's position - underwent a dramatic change. The Earth disappeared, and upon the screen was flashed ascarred and pockmarked map with such labels as Mare Tranquillitatis, Mare Crisium,and many craters with such names as Tsiolkovsky, Grimaldi, and Gilbert. The effectwas electrifying, symbolic evidence that man had reached the vicinity of the Moon.

A photo of Cunningham, lunar module pilot on Apollo 7 making notes

Walt Cunningham, lunar module pilot on Apollo 7 (which carried noLM), makes notes while a spare film magazine floats weightlessly a fewinches above his pen. To "park" something in space, it had to be leftwith zero motion.

CapCom Gerry Carr spoke to the three astronauts more than 200,000 miles away,"Ten seconds to go. You are GO all the way." Lovell replied, "We'll see you on theother side", and Apollo 8 disappeared behind the Moon, the first time in history menhad been occulted. For 34 minutes there would be no way of knowing what happened.During that time the 247-second LOI (lunar orbit insertion) burn would take placethat would slow down the spacecraft from 5758 to 3643 mph to enable it to latch onto the Moon's field of gravity and go into orbit. If the SPS engine failed, Apollo 8 wouldwhip around the Moon and head back for Earth on a free-return trajectory (á la Apollo13); during one critical half minute if the engine conked out the spacecraft would besent crashing into the Moon.

A photo of the crater Langrenus on the Moon

Terraced inner walls lead from the rim of the crater Langrenus downto the smooth crater floor, broken by some central peaks. Langrenus isabout 85 miles in diameter and its smooth, worn walls suggest that it isfairly old. The photo was taken from an altitude of some 150 miles.

A photo of the crater Gocienius on the Moon

Slashing across the floor of the crater Goclenius, whichis about 40 miles in diameter, are strange trenches calledrilles. One rille extends over the entire crater floor, acrossthe central peak, and continues up over the rim and outalong the surrounding mare. This is only part of anApollo 8 telephoto negative.

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