The second manned Apollo-Saturn flight, Apollo 8, had as its crew Col. Frank Borman, Lt. Col. William A. Anders, and Navy Capt. James A. Lovell. The mission flew 10 orbits of the moon on December 24, 1968, and the crew took turns reading aloud from the Book of Genesis. Their words were broadcast worldwide over the NASA communications network. Their eight-day mission served as a reconnaissance for landing sites. The Apollo program was the successful conclusion of the U.S. effort to achieve, within the decade of the 1960's, the goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth.