Chapter 1 – the Race to the Moon
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THE APOSTLES OF APOLLO The Journey of the Bible to the Moon and the Untold Stories of American Astronauts CAROL MERSCH P Pen-L Publishing Fayetteville, Arkansas Pen-L.com The Apostles of Apollo: The Journey Of The Bible To The Moon... And The Untold Stories Of American Astronauts Third Edition Copyright © 2009, 2011, 2013 by Carol L. Mersch Cover Illustration Copyright © 2011 by Carol Mersch Books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting: Pen-L Publishing at [email protected] All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. As a non-fiction book, this text incorporates information obtained from public and private sources; personal interviews with relevant persons, their families, and those with first-hand knowledge of events; NASA archives; the Nixon Files; and various government sources under the Freedom of Information Act. Where possible, multiple individuals and organizations were contacted to verify facts; however, due to the passage of time, participants may recount differing versions of events. In all cases, information in this book was obtained and researched from what the author determined to be the most accurate sources available. It is up to the reader to research these topics further and determine if what is written is factual. The author disclaims any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them. Visit www.apostlesofapollo.com “Well written and captures the human side of space flight.” — Tom Stafford, Commander, Apollo 10 Apollo Commander, Apollo-Soyuz Test Project “It’s a classic.” — Edgar Mitchell, Lunar Module Pilot, Apollo 14 “The technological side of things changes quickly. The side shown here is the side that endures." — Eugene Cernan, Commander, Apollo 17 “Truly captures the courage and emotion of those in Mission Control as we struggled to find answers and find them fast.” — Jerry Bostick, NASA Chief Flight Dynamics officer Project Apollo, 1968–1973 “We never thought that we would not save the Apollo 13 crew, not once. A well researched book.” — Sy Liebergot, EECOM systems Flight Controller, Project Apollo, Skylab EGIL systems Flight Controller, 1966–1975 “Mersch has produced an amazing book that is written in thoughtful and well-assembled prose, which holds the reader’s interest right to the end.” — Colin Burgess, Author and Space Historian “Fallen Astronauts,” “Into That Silent Sea,” “In the Shadow of the Moon” “This fascinating book describes an aspect of Project Apollo that I knew very little about." — Ed Hengeveld, Space Artist and Apollo Historian “I can share my overall verdict right now. A grade of A. Mersch has written a superb book.” — Steve Weinberg, National Book Reviewer and Author In Appreciation This book would not have been possible without the encourage- ment and editorial contributions of Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell and NASA industrial chaplain Reverend John M. Stout, whose combined efforts succeeded in landing the first Bible on the moon. “We never stop finding out who we are.” —Reverend John Stout Director, The Apollo Prayer League CONTENTS Introduction ...................................................................... xi 1. The “Original 7” ............................................................. 1 2. First Up .......................................................................... 9 3. Next in Line ................................................................. 14 4. A Walk in the Ether ..................................................... 20 5. The Good Reverend Stout ............................................ 26 6. Apollo 1: A Mission in Flames ..................................... 33 7. The Aftermath ............................................................. 40 8. The Apollo Prayer League ........................................... 48 9. The Inquest .................................................................. 55 10. Apollo 4: Up from the Ashes ........................................ 67 11. Apollo 7: Resurrection of Apollo .................................. 73 12. Apollo 8: Leap in Faith ................................................ 80 13. Shooting the Moon ....................................................... 85 14. Christmas Eve ............................................................. 92 15. Apollo 9: Rendezvous in Space .................................. 105 16. Apollo 10: Close Encounter ........................................ 110 17. Makings of a Moon Walk ........................................... 121 18. The Silver Chalice ...................................................... 128 19. Apollo 11: Destination Moon ..................................... 136 20. One Small Step .......................................................... 141 21. Return to Earth ......................................................... 151 22. The Rest of the Story ................................................. 158 23. An Atheist Voice ........................................................ 163 24. 40,000 Voices .............................................................. 171 25. Apollo 12: Space Cowboys ..........................................180 26. The “Icy Commander” is Back .................................... 193 27. Apollo 13: A Space Odyssey........................................205 28. The Whole World Prayed ........................................... 219 29. Splashdown: The Grace of God .................................. 228 30. Apollo 14: Restoring Faith .........................................242 31. Lunar Landfall ...........................................................250 32. Full Circle ...................................................................258 33. A Still Small Voice ......................................................267 34. Apollo 15: One Red Bible ............................................271 35. Apollo 16: Moonwalker Moment ................................ 285 36. Apollo 17: The Long Last Look...................................297 37. Moondust ....................................................................309 38. End of an Era ..............................................................316 "Apollo Lost" by Al Worden .............................................. 321 Photo Gallery ....................................................................323 Bibliography .....................................................................340 Index .................................................................................351 “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” – President John F. Kennedy Rice University, September 12, 1962 Introduction It began with a challenge when the Soviet Union foisted a 184-pound basketball-sized alloy sphere called Sputnik into an elliptical near-earth orbit on October 4, 1957. It ended when an astronaut by the name of Eugene Cernan took the last step by man on the surface of the moon. Cernan climbed the ladder and closed the hatch to the lunar module of Apollo 17. On December 14, 1972, the spacecraft launched for rendezvous with the command module silently approaching overhead. Not a single human being has been back since. What so many thought was a prelude to interplanetary space exploration now reads like an epilogue. For several decades since, the world’s gaze has been earthbound, fixed on the chaotic world earthlings inhabit and its many chronic problems. Generations have passed since American astronauts left the moon, so much time that some wonder why the country bothered to go there in the first place. When President John Kennedy astonished the crowd and his own administration with his proclamation at Rice Stadium in 1962 to land a man on the moon, the public was immediately enthralled by the vision. What is not remembered as well is the veiled geopolitical explanation that immediately followed: . because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win. He did not mention the Soviet Union by name, nor did he mention the Cold War. He did, however, present the mission to the moon as a challenge to “win” with a deadline—which made it a race. This was the xi second leg of the space race, and the prize was the alignment of the hearts and minds of people and governments around the world with the United States—hearts and minds that would be won by an astonishing display of courage and technological prowess. Were it not for this rivalry between competing political and economic systems, we would surely have stayed home. But this was the Cold War and the high stakes space race was its high-minded and optimistic manifestation. A brutal proxy war in Southeast Asia was another.