It was pretty amazing this past week to watch NASA's Odysseus, as it was the first U.S. spacecraft to land on moon in over 50 years.
However, after encountering technical problems in its descent, the Odysseus "caught a foot on the surface" after landing and tipped onto its side, NASA reported Friday.
While I hope the lunar specialists get the Odysseus fixed, the whole plight brought me back 55 years when I was 29 years old watching Neil Armstrong first walk on the moon.
Apollo 11 was NASA's American spaceflight that first landed humans on the moon, when Commander Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Eagle there on July 20, 1969.
I bet few students today learn that the crew of Apollo 11 had themselves some profoundly sacred moments when they were up in space and particularly on the moon.
Some have religiously categorized astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin as the deist (Armstrong), the Christian (Aldrin) and the atheist (Collins) who went to the moon. But that's an oversimplification.
The truth is, Armstrong was a Christian (not a Muslim as some falsely reported), Collins was a nominal Episcopalian, and Aldrin was an elder at his Presbyterian Church back in Houston.
Before Armstrong and Aldrin actually stepped on the moon, they made another historic step. While Collins stayed back in the lunar module, Armstrong looked on respectfully as fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin performed a communion ceremony before the two set foot on the moon.
The communion bag and chalice used by Buzz Aldrin during his lunar communion. (Credit: David Frohman, President of Peachstate Historical Consulting, Inc.)
Former White House Special Counsel Charles Colson, who served under President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1970, once wrote a column about it, the details of which Armstrong confirmed.
Colson wrote, "What you may not know, however, is that for many of the early astronaut heroes, the 'right stuff' included deep religious faith. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are best known as the first astronauts to land on the moon and take that 'giant leap for mankind.' But you probably don't know that before they emerged from the spaceship, Aldrin pulled out a Bible, a silver chalice, and sacramental bread and wine. There on the moon, his first act was to celebrate communion."
Buzz made the following announcement to Mission Control during that spiritual moment:
"Houston, this is Eagle. This is the LM pilot speaking. I would like to request a few moments of silence. I would like to invite each person listening in, whoever or wherever he may be, to contemplate for a moment the events of the last few hours, and to give thanks in his own individual way."
Aldrin reported later: "In the radio blackout, I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the Scripture [Jesus' words in John 15]: 'I am the vine, you are the branches. Whosoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit.'"
It is especially fitting and poignant that Aldrin also read Psalm 8:3-4 on the moon: "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; 'What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?'"
Aldrin later wrote in Guideposts magazine: "The very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements."
St. Peter's Episcopal Church reported: "Each year since 1969, Aldrin's church, Webster Presbyterian, holds a Lunar Communion service to commemorate Buzz Aldrin's celebration on the moon."
Interesting to note, history.com explained: "Aldrin wasn't the only astronaut to experience religious rituals in space. In 1994, three Catholic astronauts took Holy Communion on board Space Shuttle Endeavor. Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon reportedly recited the Jewish Shabbat Kiddush prayer in space (he later died when Space Shuttle Columbia exploded in 2003). And Russian cosmonaut Sergei Ryzhikov took a relic of St. Serafim of Sarov, a Russian Orthodox saint, to space in 2017."
Speaking of sacred moments, some might be surprised to read what else I found on the website of St. Peter's Episcopal Church about NASA, the Bible and the moon:
The Apollo Prayer League was a group of NASA engineers, scientists, administrators and astronauts. The League was headed by Rev. John Stout, a NASA Information Scientist and chaplain who worked closely with the astronauts and NASA personnel.
The Apollo Prayer League created a microfilm Bible and 300 microfilm copies were carried to the lunar surface. The microfilm is about 1.5 inches square, and yet contains all 1,245 pages of the King James Bible. These pages so small that they must be read under a microscope. This Lunar Bible is the only complete copy of the Bible to have flown to the surface of the Moon.
The microfilm Lunar Bible was flown on three Apollo missions. It was packed onboard Apollo 12 spacecraft, but was mistakenly left on the Command Module. It was then placed onboard Apollo 13, and was with the astronauts during their perilous return to Earth after the explosion of the Service Module. The Lunar Bible copies were finally carried to the Moon in the pocket of astronaut Edgar Mitchell on Apollo 14.
Perhaps the most under-reported story about astronaut Neil Armstrong's faith concerned his visit to Israel following his historic trip to the moon, which is conveyed in Thomas Friedman's award-winning book, "From Beirut to Jerusalem" (winner of the National Book Award).
The story goes that Armstrong was taken on a tour of the old city of Jerusalem by Israeli archeologist Meir Ben-Dov.
When they arrived at the Hulda Gate, which is at the top of the southern steps leading up to the Temple Mount, Armstrong asked Ben-Dov whether Jesus had stepped anywhere around there.
"These are the steps that lead to the temple," Ben-Dov told him, "so He must have walked here many times."
Armstrong then asked Ben-Dov if those were the original stairs and Ben-Dov confirmed that they were indeed.
"So Jesus stepped right here?" Armstrong asked.
"That's right," answered Ben-Dov.
To which Armstrong replied with this monumental statement: "I have to tell you, I am more excited stepping on these stones than when I was stepping on the moon."
Wow!
I'd bet my Texas ranch that your child or grandchild will not learn the above sacred and historical facts today about the Apollo missions in any public school. How sad.
It's going to take us patriots to educate our posterity and others about the Creator's influence in that first moon landing. Please share this column with everyone you know during this week we celebrate NASA's first moon landing in 50 years. Congrats to everyone who worked on the mission!
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