Know How Astronaut William Anders Captured Iconic 'Blue Marble' Earth View Rising Over Moon In 1968

In late 1968, the Apollo 8 mission transitioned from a calculated risk to an audacious leap in the Cold War space race.

While the United States struggled with domestic unrest and the Vietnam War, NASA engineers took a monumental gamble. Recovering from the 1967 Apollo 1 fire, the agency scrapped its orbital testing schedule to blunt Soviet lunar ambitions. As historian Dwayne A. Day observes, NASA had the "gas pedal pressed to the floor," regardless of whether the Soviet Union was visible in the rearview mirror.

The mission parameters were dangerously simple:

The Launch: The first crewed flight of the Saturn V rocket.

The Transit: A three-day journey across 240,000 miles.

The Catch: A single Service Propulsion System engine that had to fire perfectly to enter—and later exit—lunar orbit.

The mission provided humanity with its first look at the Moon’s far side, but the most enduring image was of our own home. The "Earthrise" photograph captured the planet’s vulnerability. This was cemented by the Christmas Eve broadcast, where the crew read from Genesis as they drifted over ancient lunar seas.

Apollo 8 didn't just meet a technical goal; it provided a cultural pivot point. As author Andrew Chaikin later reflected, the mission feels "jarringly out of sequence"—a futuristic achievement that occurred long before its time, yet arrived exactly when a weary world needed it most.

Fifty-seven years later, as we look toward the upcoming Artemis 2 mission, the legacy of Apollo 8 serves as both a roadmap and a warning for the next era of lunar exploration.

The ‘Hail Mary’ of 1968

In 1968, NASA was reeling from the Apollo 1 fire and feeling the heat of Soviet competition. In a move that was equal parts brilliant and terrifying, the agency abandoned its slow-and-steady approach. They decided to send Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders to the moon on the first-ever crewed flight of the massive Saturn V rocket.

Why Apollo 8 Changed Everything:

The Mission: It was the first time humans broke free of Earth’s gravity to orbit another celestial body.

The Risks: The spacecraft relied on a single engine that had to fire perfectly to return the crew home.

The ‘Earthrise’: While the mission was about the moon, its most lasting image was the Earth—a fragile "blue marble" rising over a desolate lunar horizon.

The Spirit: On Christmas Eve, the crew read from Genesis during a live broadcast, a moment of profound unity for a divided planet.

Capturing the Iconic 'Blue Marble' Earth View

Skimming just 60 miles above the surface, Borman, Lovell, and Anders stared into the Moon’s ancient, scarred face. But the sight that stopped their breath wasn't the Moon—it was the Earth. As our blue planet crested the lunar limb, Bill Anders captured the 'Earthrise' photo, a shot that changed everything. It forced humanity to see itself from a quarter-million miles away: a tiny, fragile spark in the vastness of space.

The New Moon Race: Artemis vs. China

History is "rhyming" as we approach 2026. NASA is preparing Artemis 2, which will carry astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen around the moon in the Orion spacecraft. This will be the first crewed lunar flight since 1972.

However, the landscape has shifted:

Technological Supremacy: In the 60s, the moon race was the primary measure of national strength. Today, while a Chinese lunar landing could signal a shift in global power, technological dominance is measured across many more sectors (AI, quantum computing, etc.).

Internal Challenges: NASA is currently navigating significant headwinds, including an 11-month leadership vacuum prior to Jared Isaacman’s recent confirmation, budget cuts, and low employee morale.

Sustainability: Unlike the "sprint" of Apollo, Artemis aims for a sustained presence, a goal that is harder to fund and maintain over decades of shifting politics.

Comparing the Eras

While the objective of Apollo 8 was to outpace the Soviet Union and test lunar orbit, Artemis 2 is designed to qualify the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket for deep-space operations.

For Apollo 8, NASA utilized the Apollo Command/Service Module launched by a Saturn V rocket; Artemis 2 will utilize the Orion "Integrity" launched by the Space Launch System (SLS).

While Apollo 8 took place against a backdrop of social upheaval and Cold War tensions, Artemis 2 faces a landscape defined by budgetary constraints and the rapid rise of the private space sector.

Looking Ahead

Apollo 8 proved that extraordinary progress requires extraordinary guts. As the Artemis program prepares to launch, the question isn't just about whether we have the technology to return, but whether we possess the same national resolve that propelled three men into the unknown half a century ago.