Remembering 1968: Apollo 8's Christmas greeting from the moon On Christmas Eve 1968, the first humans to circle the moon aboard Apollo 8 sent back the first image of the Earth above the lunar surface. The picture, dubbed "Earthrise," showed humanity the beauty and fragility of our home planet, and helped invigorate the environmental movement. Lee Cowan talks with astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders; with Jeffrey Kluger, author of a book on Apollo 8; and with former Vice President Al Gore, who talks about the impact of that mission on man's environmental awareness.