<P> The Earth - based mission control teams for Apollo 8 consisted of astronauts assigned to the support crew, as well as non-astronaut flight directors and their staffs . The support crew members were not trained to fly the mission, but were able to stand in for astronauts in meetings and be involved in the minutiae of mission planning, while the prime and backup crews trained . They also served as CAPCOMs during the mission . For Apollo 8, these crew members included astronauts John S. Bull, Vance D. Brand, Gerald P. Carr, and Ken Mattingly . The mission control teams on Earth rotated in three shifts, each led by a flight director . The directors for Apollo 8 included Clifford E. Charlesworth (Green team), Glynn Lunney (Black team), and Milton Windler (Maroon team). </P> <P> The triangular shape of the insignia symbolizes the shape of the Apollo Command Module (CM). It shows a red figure - 8 looping around the Earth and Moon representing the mission number as well as the circumlunar nature of the mission . On the red number 8 are the names of the three astronauts . </P> <P> The initial design of the insignia was developed by Jim Lovell . Lovell reportedly sketched the initial design while riding in the backseat of a T - 38 flight from California to Houston, shortly after learning of the re-designation of the flight to become a lunar - orbital mission . The graphic design of the insignia was done by Houston artist and animator William Bradley . </P> <P> Apollo 4 and Apollo 6 had been "A" missions, unmanned tests of the Saturn V launch vehicle using an unmanned Block I production model of the Apollo Command and Service Module in Earth orbit . Apollo 7, scheduled for October 1968, would be a manned Earth - orbit flight of the CSM, completing the objectives for Mission "C". </P>

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