ABSTRACT
On the morning of July 16, 1969, CBS News led its coverage of the first manned moon landing with President Kennedy’s pledge from eight years earlier that “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.” A title card then appeared, announcing, “CBS News presents, ‘Man on the Moon, the Epic Journey of Apollo 11.’” Viewers saw the famous photograph “Earthrise” that Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders had taken of the earth on Christmas Eve as it rose over the moon. Anders took his image from lunar orbit. No one yet had ever set foot on the moon, but that was about to change.
