The first human to see the far side of the moon… Circled the moon 10 times
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson: Bowman is a true American hero

The Associated Press reported on the 9th (local time) that Frank Borman, commander of NASA’s Apollo 8 lunar mission, who was the first human to enter lunar orbit and see the far side of the moon, has passed away at the age of 95. did.

According to NASA, Borman’s family spokesman Jim McCarthy said that Bowman died on the 7th while receiving treatment for a stroke at a medical facility in Billings, Montana. He was the oldest living American astronaut since the death of American astronaut John Glenn in 2016.

Bowman was the commander of the Apollo 8 manned lunar mission, launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA on December 21, 1968. Apollo 8 entered lunar orbit after a three-day space flight. Afterwards, it orbited the moon 10 times between December 24th and 25th and returned to Earth on December 27th.

“The entire Apollo 8 crew wishes God’s blessings on all of you on Earth,” Bowman said in a broadcast from Apollo 8 at the time. “Merry Christmas,” he said.

Borman described what the Earth looks like from the moon in his book ‘Countdown’. “We were the first humans to see the Earth in all its glory, and it was an experience that made a powerful impression on all of us,” he said. “We said nothing to each other, but I was sure we all felt the same way about our family on a rotating Earth.” “He explained.

After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in 1950, Bowman worked as a fighter pilot and instructor in the U.S. Air Force. He was subsequently selected for NASA’s Astronaut Project in 1962. He was one of nine test astronauts selected.

“Today we lose one of NASA’s greatest,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement. “Astronaut Frank Borman was a true American hero.”

Source: Donga