 Five hours after launch , Mission Control sent a command to the S @-@ IVB booster to vent its remaining fuel through its engine bell to change the booster 's trajectory . This S @-@ IVB would then pass the Moon and enter into a solar orbit , posing no further hazard to Apollo 8 . The S @-@ IVB subsequently went into a 0 @.@ 99 @-@ by @-@ 0 @.@ 92 @-@ astronomical @-@ unit ( 148 by 138 Gm ) solar orbit with an inclination of 23 @.@ 47 ° from the plane of the ecliptic , and an orbital period of 340 @.@ 80 days . After the insertion into trans @-@ Lunar orbit , the Saturn IVB third stage became a derelict object . It will continue to orbit the Sun for many years . 
