NOVA Documentary Takes A Look Back At Humans' First Trek To The Moon On Apollo 8

Fifty years ago this week, Apollo 8 became the first ship to leave Earth’s orbit and go to the moon — orbiting it 10 times. A new NOVA documentary about the expedition, “Apollo’s Daring Mission,” airs Wednesday on PBS stations.

Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson talks to the film’s director, Rushmore DeNooyer, and John Aaron, who worked in Mission Control for Apollo 8.

“Almost everybody knows about the first moon landing, Neil Armstrong,” DeNooyer says. “I would argue that the landing couldn’t have happened if 8 hadn’t happened.”

The Apollo 8 mission