Astronaut Frank Borman died on Tuesday at the age of 95. The American led the first flight to the moon in 1968.
Borman was the commander of the Apollo 8 mission. The spacecraft flew around the Moon several times. The mission was an important stepping stone to the moon landing that occurred six months later.
The astronaut and his crew launched on December 21, 1968. On Christmas Eve, Apollo 8 reached the moon. The astronauts read Bible verses during the live broadcast flight. Borman concluded with a Christmas greeting, saying: “On behalf of the Apollo 8 crew, we wish you a good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas and God’s blessings to all of you on Earth.”
After successfully orbiting the Earth, NASA’s spacecraft was used for the journey to the Moon. The Americans wanted to get to the moon before the Russians at any cost.
Borman was born on March 14, 1928. After working at NASA, he worked for a long time as a manager at Eastern Airlines.
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