MSI ball marks 50th anniversary of Apollo 8

The Museum of Science and Industry’s 38th annual Columbian Ball took guests to the moon and back.

The Oct. 6 event celebrated the 50th anniversary of the pioneering Apollo 8 mission and included all three astronauts who made the first trip to the far side of the moon in December 1968: Capt. James Lovell, Col. Frank Borman and Maj. Gen. Bill Anders. The mission took the men farther than any human had gone before, orbiting the moon 10 times before returning to Earth.

The crowd buzzed with excitement during a VIP reception in the Henry Crown Space Center. Guests viewed the Apollo 8 command module, took photos beside cardboard cutouts of the crew and relived stirring mission footage in the adjacent theater. A Chris Calle painting of the iconic “Earthrise” photograph, taken by Anders during Apollo 8’s lunar orbit, was unveiled.

David Mosena, MSI president and CEO, welcomed 700 guests in the rotunda before a dinner program that featured Bill Kurtis in discussion with the crew. Mosena called the mission “one of history’s greatest achievements that embodies everything the museum holds dear — curiosity, passion and the willingness to push the limits of possibility.”

The 25-minute discussion touched on details of the mission, Anders’ photo, the importance of the men’s wives to their success, thoughts on today’s space program and more.

“In reality, the Apollo program was a battle of the Cold War. The reason it was funded was because we had a charismatic president and we were afraid of the Russians. There were three battles of the Cold War — Korea we tied, Vietnam we lost, but we won space,” Borman explained.

Co-chaired by Denise Dayan, Chris Lorenzen, and Laura and George Bilicic, the event raised over $2 million to support the museum’s exhibits, community outreach and education programs. More online

Find more photos and video of this event at www.chicagotribune.com/candidcandace