161. [Apollo 8] DEEP SPACE 'FIREFLIES' AROUND THE S-IVB STAGE AS HUMANITY FIRST ESCAPES EARTH'S GRAVITY James Lovell, 21-27 December 1968 Printed 1968. Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS8-16-2583]. With "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA / North American Rockwell, Downey, California). (North American Rockwell was NASA's prime contractor for the Apollo Command and Service Modules). 20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.) Historical context This striking photograph captures the first-ever spacecraft manoeuvres conducted by humans in deep space, featuring the expended third stage of the mighty Saturn V rocket—the very engine that propelled Apollo 8 beyond Earth's gravity for the first time in history—drifting through the dark void. Taken by James Lovell from the Command Module after translunar injection and separation, the image shows the S-IVB stage as Apollo 8 manoeuvred to inspect it following detachment. A dazzling display of sunlight reflecting off small particles released during separation creates the "firefly" phenomenon, first reported by John Glenn during his Mercury-Atlas 6 mission, adding a mesmerizing, almost surreal effect to the scene. Literature National Geographic, May 1969, p. 610