Remembering Apollo 8 Commander Frank Borman: A Pioneer in Space Exploration

Leading the Apollo 8 mission… Contributed to the Apollo 1 accident investigation and spacecraft redesign

Apollo 8 commander Frank Borman (far right) passes away

[AP 연합뉴스 자료사진. 재판매 및 DB 금지]

(Los Angeles = Yonhap News) Correspondent Mina Lim = Frank Borman, the astronaut who led humanity’s first lunar exploration mission ‘Apollo 8’, has passed away. He died at the age of 95.

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on the 11th (local time), Bowman passed away in Billings, Montana, on the 7th.

Bowman, a former U.S. Air Force officer, was recognized for his outstanding fighter pilot skills and expertise and joined NASA’s second group of astronauts.

He served as commander of Apollo 8 from December 21 to 27, 1968, and together with Jim Lovell and William Anders, performed the first human mission to orbit the moon.

Bowman and other Apollo 8 astronauts orbited the moon and became the first humans to witness the Earth rising above the lunar surface. They left behind a famous photo capturing this scene, and the International Astronomical Union (IAU) named this photo ‘Earthrise’ in 2018 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 8’s arrival on the moon.

‘Earthrise’ photo taken by ‘Apollo 8’

[NASA/EPA 연합뉴스 자료사진. 재판매 및 DB 금지]

“Looking back at the Earth (from lunar orbit) on Christmas Eve had a profound effect on me,” Bowman recalled, according to NASA records. “It was that sense of wonder and the fact that the Earth seemed so lonely in space. It had color.” “It was the only one. It was the most emotional moment of the flight,” he said.

The Apollo 8 mission is considered a major stepping stone in Apollo 11’s successful moon landing the following year.

“Astronaut Frank Borman was a true American hero,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “His dedication to NASA and our country will undoubtedly fuel the Artemis generation as they reach new shores of space.” revealed. Artemis is NASA’s project to send humans to the moon again 50 years after the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

Director Nelson paid tribute to Frank, saying, “Frank said, ‘Exploration is the essence of the human spirit,’ and he knew well the power of exploration to unite humanity.”

Borman also served as a member of the Apollo 204 Fire Investigation Committee, which investigated the accident that killed three astronauts in a fire that occurred during test training for Apollo 1. He later served as the Apollo program resident manager and led the team that redesigned the Apollo spacecraft. I prayed.

After retiring from NASA, he also served as CEO of the private airline Eastern Airlines.

Apollo 8 astronaut Frank Borman

[NASA/로이터 연합뉴스 자료사진. 재판매 및 DB 금지]

[email protected]