Colonization of the Moon the Soviet leadership made some of its first public pronouncements about landing a man on the Moon and establishing a lunar base. Crewed exploration of the lunar surface began in 1968 when the Apollo 8 spacecraft orbited the Moon with three astronauts on board. This was mankind's first direct view of the far side. The following year, the Apollo 11 Apollo Lunar Module landed two astronauts on the Moon, proving the ability of humans to travel to the Moon, perform scientific research work there, and bring back sample materials. Additional missions to the Moon continued this exploration phase. In 1969,
The First Men in the Moon (2010 film) hope to do full justice to his extraordinary vision." The crew mention spacesuits (called "suits") being on board the sphere, but these spacesuits are never seen, described or used, unlike in the 1964 film. Because the Moon has a breathable atmosphere, no spacesuits are needed. The film ends with a tribute to Lionel Jeffries, who played Cavor in the 1964 feature film, and who died in 2010. "The First Men in the Moon" was first broadcast on 19 October 2010 at 21:00 on BBC Four and was repeated on 20 October 2010 at 00:30 on both BBC Four and BBC