APOLLO PROGRAM ENCORE
Prologue
USS Pompon had departed Brisbane on 12 September for the second patrol - en route to her area in the South china Sea north of singapore.
"Hey Thomas. How do you feel ?" George Washington grinned at the young officer. To think their cook was named Ben Franklin !
"We may have some training before hitting the japs hard. Looks there's a Liberty ship hanging around... perfect target."
"Indeed, but.." Paine never termined its sentence. Another officer come shouting "friendly fire ! we are under attack by our fellow !"
The last thing Thomas O. Paine heard was a huge bang, and cascading water turned their Gato class submarine into hell.
No-one escaped alive.
1968
December
William Anders
"We are now approaching lunar sunrise and, for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
Jim Lovell
"And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
Frank Borman
"And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas – and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth."
George Wilhem Low was living a dream. It was really its career highlight - and he had been key in the decision process leading this three man orbiting the Moon, not Earth.