La mattina della vigilia di Natale di 40 anni fa, per la prima volta nella storia dell’Umanità, 3 astronauti poterono vedere coi propri occhi la faccia nascosta del nostro satellite: Frank Borman (comandante), Jim Lovell e William Anders, raggiunsero e circumnavigarono la Luna.
Erano partiti 3 giorni prima da Cape Canaveral, col numero di missione 8 del programma Apollo, e la prima con esseri umani a partire sulla cima del gigantesco missile Saturno 5.
In realtà questo passo così rischioso per gli Americani era previsto più tardi ma, per una serie di ragioni tecniche ed in parte anche politiche, si decise di anticiparne il lancio, riducendo il numero di voli totali e portare l’Uomo sulla Luna dopo soltanto altre tre missioni.
Fra l’altro il comandante di Apollo 8 doveva essere inizialmente un certo Michael Collins, pilota del Modulo di Comando ‘Columbia’ proprio durante la storica Apollo 11, ma un’operazione di ernia del disco lo costrinse a terra. Prese il suo posto Frank Borman, dell’equipaggio di riserva (gli altri 2 riservisti erano Neil Armstrong e Buzz Al drin….).
Tutto andò bene, le prime foto di un’alba della Terra fatte dall’uomo furono scattate, le prove per il primo allunaggio andarono bene. Il tutto servì a creare il clima più favorevole per accelerare ancora di più il programma di conquista lunare e portare allo sbarco solo 7 mesi dopo.
In realtà questo passo così rischioso per gli Americani era previsto più tardi ma, per una serie di ragioni tecniche ed in parte anche politiche, si decise di anticiparne il lancio, riducendo il numero di voli totali e portare l’Uomo sulla Luna dopo soltanto altre tre missioni.
Fra l’altro il comandante di Apollo 8 doveva essere inizialmente un certo Michael Collins, pilota del Modulo di Comando ‘Columbia’ proprio durante la storica Apollo 11, ma un’operazione di ernia del disco lo costrinse a terra. Prese il suo posto Frank Borman, dell’equipaggio di riserva (gli altri 2 riservisti erano Neil Armstrong e Buzz Al drin….).
Tutto andò bene, le prime foto di un’alba della Terra fatte dall’uomo furono scattate, le prove per il primo allunaggio andarono bene. Il tutto servì a creare il clima più favorevole per accelerare ancora di più il programma di conquista lunare e portare allo sbarco solo 7 mesi dopo.
Era l’America del Vietnam, l’America di Martin Luther King assassinato 6 mesi prima, e quella che vedeva i moti studenteschi diventare sempre più tumultuosi: era solo in parte quella voluta da John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Un momento difficile.Qualche tempo dopo il ritorno a casa, Frank Borman ricevette un telegramma da parte di uno sconosciuto che sintetizzava al meglio la realtà di quell’anno, e che diceva: “Grazie Apollo 8. Avete salvato il 1968”.
La parte più poetica della missione fu quella che avvenne durante le orbite lunari, quando l’equipaggio lesse i primi 10 versi della Bibbia:
“In principio Dio creò il cielo e la terra. La terra era informe e deserta e le tenebre ricoprivano l’abisso e lo spirito di Dio aleggiava sulle acque.
Dio disse: ‘Sia la luce!’. E la Luce fu. Dio vide che la Luce era cosa buona e separò la luce dalle tenebre e chiamò la luce Giorno e le tenebre Notte. E fu Sera e fu Mattina: primo giorno.
Dio disse: ‘Sia il firmamento in mezzo alle acque per separare le acque dalle acque’. Dio fece il firmamento e separò le acque, che sono sotto il firmamento, dalle acque, che son sopra il firmamento. E così avvenne. Dio chiamò il firmamento Cielo. E fu sera e fu mattina: secondo giorno.
Dio disse: ‘Le acque che sono sotto il Cielo, si raccolgano in un solo luogo e appaia l`asciutto’. E così avvenne. Dio chiamò l’asciutto Terra e la massa delle acque Mare. E Dio vide che era cosa buona.”
40 years ago, on the morning of Christmas Eve, for the first time in Humanity history, 3 astronauts could see the hidden face of our satellite with their own eyes: Frank Borman (captain), Jim Lovell and William Anders, reached and circumnavigated the Moon .
They left 3 days before from Cape Canaveral, with mission number 8 based on Apollo program, and the first one with human beings to leave on top of the giant rocket Saturn 5.To tell the truth, this risky step for the Americans was planned later but, for a number of technical reasons and partly also political ones, it was decided to anticipate the launch, reducing the total number of flights and bringing the Man on the Moon after only other three missions.
Among other things, the commander of Apollo 8 was to be originally a certain Michael Collins, pilot of the command module 'Columbia' during the historic Apollo 11, but a herniated disk forced him to the ground. His place was taken by Frank Borman, one of the backup crew members (the other 2 backups were Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin ....).
Everything went well, the first pictures ever of Earth’s dawn made by a man were shot, the rehearsal for the first moon landing went well. All of this was useful to create a positive climate to speed up even further the conquest of the moon and land on it only 7 months later.
It was the America with soldiers in Vietnam, the America of Martin Luther King assassinated 6 months earlier, and the one where students’ riots became increasingly tumultuous: it was only in part the one dreamed by John Fitzgerald Kennedy. A difficult moment.
Some time after returning home, Frank Borman received a telegram from a stranger who best summarized the reality of that year, and that said: "Thank you Apollo 8. You saved 1968 ".
The most poetic part of the mission happened during lunar orbits, when the crew read the first 10 verses of the Bible:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
And God said: ‘Let there be light!’ and there was Light. God saw that the Light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘Day’ and the darkness he called Night’. And there was Evening, and there was Morning—the first day.
And God said: ‘Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water’. So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse ‘Sky’. And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
And God said: ‘Let the water under the Sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear’. And it was so. God called the dry ground ‘Land’ and the gathered waters he called ‘Seas’. And God saw that it was good”.
Some time after returning home, Frank Borman received a telegram from a stranger who best summarized the reality of that year, and that said: "Thank you Apollo 8. You saved 1968 ".
The most poetic part of the mission happened during lunar orbits, when the crew read the first 10 verses of the Bible:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
And God said: ‘Let there be light!’ and there was Light. God saw that the Light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘Day’ and the darkness he called Night’. And there was Evening, and there was Morning—the first day.
And God said: ‘Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water’. So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse ‘Sky’. And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
And God said: ‘Let the water under the Sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear’. And it was so. God called the dry ground ‘Land’ and the gathered waters he called ‘Seas’. And God saw that it was good”.
After one year spent on the new Lancia Delta as vice-responsible, today a new adventure begins for me: I've been appointed as Head (in FiatTechnical Department) of car models Fiat Panda and 600.