On December 24, 1968, the crew of “Apollo 8“ broadcast a live television signal from the Moon on Christmas Eve. They became the first people to orbit another celestial body.
Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders made the broadcast after entering lunar orbit on December 24. This explains to some extent the religious content of the message. After announcing the arrival of the moonrise, each astronaut read a passage from Genesis.
For the first time, the members of “Apollo 8“ crossed the boundary of the Earth's radiation belt and, upon reaching the Moon, entered orbit around another celestial body. Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders were the first people to see the Far Side of the Moon with their own eyes.