Communion on the moon

On July 20^th, 1969, the Apollo 11 Lunar module Eagle landed on the Sea of Tranquility for mankind’s first-ever crewed landing on the moon.  Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin faced an hours-long downtime before taking those first steps on the moon while Astronaut Michael Collins orbited overhead.

Buzz Aldrin, an Elder of Webster Presbyterian Church in Houston, requested and received permission from the Presbyterian General Assembly to serve Communion to himself on the moon.  Stowed in with his personal effects was a small chalice, some wine, and bread.  His home church arranged to observe the Lord’s Supper at the same time.  Two weeks prior to launch, Buzz and his family observed a private Communion ceremony with their pastor

At the designated time, just before the planned meal period prior to exiting the Lunar module, Aldrin placed the elements in front of him and spoke into the radio, “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, wherever and whomever he may be, to contemplate for a moment the events of the past few hours and to give thanks in his own individual way.”  It had been published before that he would use this time of silence to observe the Lord’s Supper.  After taking the elements, he recited John 15:5 (TEV), “I am the vine, you are the branches.  Whoever remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without Me.”

NASA leadership requested a “general” statement rather than something more explicit.  Months before, Apollo 8 Astronauts, when circling the moon for the first time, read from the book of Genesis which was broadcast globally.  This resulted in a lawsuit from Madalyn Murray O’Hair which, though dismissed, spooked NASA enough to request the generality.

Aldrin later commented on his memory of the service noting that the wine, in the moon’s gravity which is one sixth of the Earth’s gravity, curled gracefully and slowly up the side of the cup.  He noted in Guideposts magazine, “It was interesting to think that the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the first food eaten there, were communion elements.”

Christian History e-mail, 20 Jul 2022.

https://guideposts.org/positive-living/health-and-wellness/life-advice/finding-life-purpose/guideposts-classics-when-buzz-aldrin-took-communion-on-the-moon/

https://www.history.com/articles/buzz-aldrin-communion-apollo-11-nasa