Nasa astronauts circle the Moon for the first time, capturing an iconic photo of Earth. Back home, the country is rocked by war, riots and the assassinations Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy. The crew of the historic spaceflight lift the nation’s spirits with a televised Christmas Eve broadcast from space.

Hosted by Kevin Fong.

Starring: John Aaron Bill Anders Frank Borman Jerry Bostick Michael Collins Jim Lovell Poppy Northcutt Katherine Johnson courtesy of WHRO Chris Kraft courtesy of the Johnson Space Center Oral History Project

Theme music by Hans Zimmer for Bleeding Fingers Music.

#13MinutestotheMoon www.bbcworldservice.com/13minutes

This episode was updated on 19 June 2019.

Ep. 271: "You Think You're So Smart" with Martin Starr, David Shields & Caleb Powell & Martin Sexton