Apollo 8

Apollo 8, the second crewed mission of the Apollo program, was the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth orbit, reach the Earth's Moon, orbit it and return safely to Earth. Astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders became the first humans to travel beyond low Earth orbit, the first to see Earth as a whole planet, and then the first to directly see the far side of the Moon. The mission was an enormously significant accomplishment coming at a time when American society was in crisis over Vietnam, race relations, urban problems, and a host of other difficulties.