As many of you know, I am a space geek. Well, at least I used to be – when things were simpler than they are today. I was a young boy when the Mercury astronauts were chosen on April 9, 1959 and the truth be told, if I would have been older (I was six going on seven), I could have fancied myself wanting to be an astronaut. However, back in those days, it was a dream and by the time I learned more about it, my eyesight was bad and that was a disqualification in those years… And, trying to be brutally honest with myself, I don’t know that I would have had the courage to fly into space. As Alan Shepherd once said, he was flying on a rocket that was assembled by those companies having the lowest bids! How true! But many of my fondest childhood memories are watching the Redstone and Atlas rockets take off with a member of the Mercury 7 circling the earth. I love those memories with my Dad.
I knew all about the first seven chosen to serve as our space pioneers. Shepherd, Grissom, Glenn, Carpenter, Schirra, Cooper and Slayton were all stellar choices. Their average IQ was over 130, they were all tremendous physical specimens and endured unbelievable testing to make the cut. Of the seven, Slayton was the only one to not fly in the program – due to a heart condition that was later corrected and allowed him to fly years later. He was, however, in the meantime, the head of the astronaut office and chose the crews for space flight.
Eventually, later astronauts were chosen and trained to man the Gemini program where two astronauts were sent together and docking, spacewalks, among other challenges, were overcome in anticipation of the Apollo program. This program was designed to land men on the moon and return them safely to earth by the end of the 1960’s, as promised by President John Kennedy in a speech given to Congress on May 25, 1961, shortly after Shepherd’s inaugural space flight on May 5th of that year.
Having successfully overcome many challenges in order to consider a moonshot, and the terrible tragedy of Apollo 1 when Grissom, White and Chaffee were lost in a capsule fire on the ground during testing, Apollo 11 successfully made it to the moon in July, 1969. In fact, Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin completed the first manned lunar landing 56 years ago today! They spent 22 hours on the lunar surface and we heard those famous words, “One small step…” as Armstrong stepped off the ladder onto the lunar surface. Aldrin had wanted that honor, but it was not to be.
However, Buzz had a number of accomplishments credited to him as well. He was the only one who witnessed Armstrong’s descent in person, he was the first to celebrate communion on the surface of the moon and when Armstrong left his watch in the lunar module due to a broken clock onboard, Aldrin became the first person to wear a watch on the lunar surface. While so much of the hoopla celebrated Armstrong, Aldrin was a huge part of the success of the landing. Furthermore, Mike Collins was orbiting the moon, alone, while his two crew mates were making history on the surface. Thankfully, all three returned safely and history was made!
Of the three, Buzz is the only one still living – at the age of 95. David Scott, Charles Duke and Harrison Schmitt, three others who walked on the moon are still with us. They are the only four of the twelve still living who set foot on the lunar surface. James Lovell and Fred , Jr., who orbited the moon but didn’t land, are also still with us.
Buzz Aldrin attended MIT and earned a Doctorate of Science (ScD) in astronautics, making him perhaps the most distinguished academic to land on the moon. In fact, Harrison Schmitt was the only other Apollo astronaut to earn a doctoral degree – in geology from Harvard in 1964.
Aldrin defined the moon as “magnificent desolation”, a rather heady description for such a man of science. A Presbyterian elder, he has continued to advocate for space exploration. In fact, years after his return from the lunar mission, Aldrin wrote several books, including “Magnificent Desolation” which chronicled his depression and dependence on alcohol after his return from the moon. He was also the Commandant of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, finally retiring from the Air Force in 1972.
Buzz has developed the Aldrin Cycler, a model for a trajectory to Mars that will undoubtedly make travel to this planet more efficient in terms of propellant and time. He has also earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 and continues to advocate for space exploration to this day. We owe an incredible debt of gratitude to Armstrong, Aldrin and all the others who made space travel a reality. On this day, Lunar Landing Day, we celebrate their fulfillment of President Kennedy’s commitment on behalf of the United States.
Our verse for tonight is from the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah. He reminds us, in Isaiah 40:26, “Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”
My encouragement this evening is that God knows each one of us, including every hair on our heads. We are even more important to Him than the cosmos; after all, we are created in God’s image. We are told that God knows every star, every heavenly body, by name. Just let that sink in… My prayer is that we will be thankful and praise God for the creation that Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins and many others have started to explore. And it won’t be long before the latest generation of geniuses helps us return to the moon and then, hopefully, to Mars! Thank God for all these space pioneers and for those who are to follow them. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…