Today's anxiety, mistrust will pass

From Mississippi-

Last month, a cohort of astronauts and bishops gathered in Washington to commemorate the Apollo 8 space mission’s 50th anniversary.

The Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, said before the ceremony, “The exploration of space is part of the human quest for knowledge, and the human quest for knowledge is to know God’s creation.”

The Apollo 8 mission, taking place Dec. 21-27, 1968, saw the first manned spacecraft break through earth’s lower orbit, orbit around the moon, and come back. The ship’s crew – Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders – became the first humans to see an “Earthrise” and experience the sensation of zero gravity. It set the stage for Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to finally set foot on the moon on the Apollo 11 mission just six months later.

The historical moment of the Apollo 8 mission was a tense one. If you’ll remember, the Apollo missions were part of the Space Race between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.

More here-

http://www.djournal.com/opinion/editorials/our-opinion-today-s-anxiety-mistrust-will-pass/article_f189c935-5b7a-541d-8e1c-c8ecd380f305.html

Bishops and astronauts gather in Washington to remember Apollo 8

From RNS-

Sometimes, the most profound truths about humanity — and God — are revealed when we take a small step back. Or rocket ourselves about 238,000 miles into space.

Astronaut James Lovell had that epiphany 50 years ago as he became one of the first astronauts to orbit the moon.

“I remembered a saying I’d often heard: ‘I hope to go to heaven when I die.’ I suddenly realized that I went to heaven when I was born,” said Lovell.

Lovell spoke at the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday night (Dec. 11) as part of a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Apollo 8 mission that sent Lovell and fellow astronauts William Anders and Frank Borman into space to circle Earth’s gray satellite.

The mission, which lasted from Dec. 21 to Dec. 27, 1968, included an unusual religious element: As the trio of spacefarers rounded the moon on Christmas Eve, they paused to read the first 10 verses from the Book of Genesis.

More here-

https://religionnews.com/2018/12/13/bishops-and-astronauts-gather-in-washington-to-remember-apollo-8/