It was all but a done deal, an accepted fact that was going to happen.
Our late President John F. Kennedy had already set the national goal.
We were going to the Moon by the end of the '60s!
Space flights,under both the Gemini and Apollo programs,were frequent occurences while we were attending Father Ryan between 1965and 1969.
That included a very famous flight when the crew of Apollo 8 orbited the moon for the first time on Christmas Eve, 1968. It resulted in a prime time broadcast that reportedly attracted the largest audience ever in American TV history.
Courtesy of YouTube, here's a look back at that special event through a TV special produced by WGN-TV in Chicago and featuring one of the Apollo 8 astronauts, Jim Lovell. It is the fascinating story behind the story...
I still get goosebumps everytime I see and hear that broadcast, even more so than watching the actual landing on the moon which came with the Apollo 11 mission in July, 1969 shortly after we graduated from Father Ryan.
Earthrise from Apollo 8, December 24, 1968
On that Christmas Eve, 1968 I had been out with friends doing some Christmas-caroling. We had just come back in to warm up with some hot chocolate when the broadcast began. Watching the lunar surface on the far side of the moon drift by (it was something no one had even seen before) and then to witness the "earth rise" during the broadcast, all while listening to the words of Genesis left an impression on me that is still quite strong today.
So what are your memories of that event, or the space program in general while we were at Ryan? I suspect most of us at the time thought that lunar landings would continue for many years. Now it's been well over 35 years since someone walked on the moon. That will apparently change soon with new lunar explorations and even a mission to Mars on the planning boards. All this to inspire a new generation to look forward to a new future.
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