Apollo 8 liftoff

A Saturn V rocket carrying the Apollo 8 crew blasts off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 21, 1968. It was the first crewed mission to the moon.

A Saturn V rocket powered by 5 Rocketdyne F-1 engines blasts off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 21, 1968, carrying the Apollo 8 crew. It was the first crewed mission to the moon. (NASA)

NASA