40th anniversary of Apollo 8

Washington, Dec 22: The US space agency marked the 40th anniversary of the historic Apollo 8 mission that brought three astronauts to orbit the moon for the first time.

On December 21, 1968, Apollo 8 blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida and three days later, Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders became the first humans to enter lunar orbit.

The mission ultimately led to the first footsteps on the moon when Neil Armstrong took his "one small step" in 1969. Apollo 8 also marked a rare moment of unity in the United States in a tumultuous year marred by the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy, violence peaking during the Vietnam War and riots across American cities.