NASA's first flight to moon marks 50th anniversary

Apollo 8 Commander Col. Frank Borman leads the way as he, and fellow astronauts Command Module Pilot Capt. James A Lovell Jr., and Lunar Module Pilot Maj. William A. Anders head to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (NASA via AP, File)

This Dec. 29, 1968 photo made available by NASA shows the large moon crater Goclenius, foreground, approximately 40 statute miles in diameter, and three clustered craters Magelhaens, Magelhaens A, and Colombo A, during the Apollo 8 mission. (NASA via AP, File)

The Saturn V rocket carrying the Apollo 8 crew launches from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with 7.5 million pounds of thrust. The vehicle has just cleared the tower at Launch Complex 39A. (NASA via AP, File)

In this Dec. 22, 1968 image from video made available by NASA, astronaut Frank Borman waves goodbye at the end of a television transmission from the Apollo 8 spacecraft enroute to moon. (NASA via AP, File)

A section of the Saturn V rocket is prepared for the Dec. 21, 1968 launch of the Apollo 8 mission at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (NASA via AP, File)

This Dec. 24, 1968, file photo made available by NASA shows the Earth behind the surface of the moon during the Apollo 8 mission. (William Anders/NASA via AP, File)