This spacecraft
was the first of the Apollo series to successfully orbit the moon, and
the first manned spacecraft to leave Earth's gravity and reach the Moon.
The mission
provided operational experience and tested the Apollo command module systems,
including communications, tracking, and life-support, in cis-lunar space
and lunar orbit, and allowed evaluation of crew performance on a lunar
orbiting mission.
The crew
photographed the lunar surface, both farside and nearside, obtaining information
on topography and landmarks as well as other scientific information necessary
for future Apollo landings. Additionally, six live television transmission
sessions were done by the crew during the mission, including the famous
Christmas Eve broadcast in which the astronauts read from the book of
Genesis.
All systems
operated within allowable parameters and all objectives of the mission
were achieved.
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