Question

After the Apollo 8 mission, NASA received a telegram thanking them for "saving 1968". Why do you think people felt that way?

Answer 1

The crew themselves only gave the mission a fifty-fifty chance of fully succeeding. Upon returning to Earth, Borman received a telegram from a stranger commenting on the mission's outcome by simply stating: “Thank you Apollo 8. You saved 1968.”

Answer 2

Probably because they made a lot of progress for america at a time where there was heavy completion between the us and the ussr due to the cold war