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

User Wonton
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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
User Tsilis
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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.”
User Labithiotis
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