 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 ) . 
