Apollo 8 Mission
The Apollo 8 mission launched from Kennedy Space Center on December 21, 1968. It was the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon. The cacheted cover is addressed to US Representative Don Fuqua of Florida who at the time was serving on the Committee on Science and Astronautics, later renamed the Committee on Science and Technology. The commemorative stamp, inspired by the mission, was issued on May 5, 1969, in Houston, Texas, location of Johnson Space Center, which monitored the Apollo missions after launch.
This is also what is known as a contractor cover. These are envelopes printed by companies that contracted with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a way to celebrate their participation and achievements in a particular space program. Bendix contracted with NASA to provide launch support services for the Apollo program, which had the goal of landing humans on the Moon.
Postmarked: Houston, Texas
Postmark date: May 5, 1969
Acc. no. 86.075.090
