Earthrise. 🌎 In December of 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 became the first people to leave our home planet and travel to another body in space. But as astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders later recalled, the most important thing they discovered was Earth. As their command module floated above the lunar surface on Dec. 24, the astronauts beamed back images of the Moon and Earth and took turns reading from the book of Genesis, closing with a wish for everyone "on the good Earth." After circling the Moon 10 times, it was time for Apollo 8 to come home. On Dec. 25, mission control waited anxiously for word that Apollo 8's engine burn to leave lunar orbit had worked. They soon got confirmation when Lovell radioed, "Roger, please be informed there is a Santa Claus." The crew splashed down in the Pacific on Dec. 27. A lunar landing was still months away, but for the first time ever, humans from Earth had visited the Moon and returned home safely. Credit: NASA #Apollo8...