Oggi, quarant'anni fa

SBARCO SULLA LUNA. Due uomini partono oggi e il 21 mettono piede sul nostro satellite (il terzo rimane in orbita); per la prima volta siamo su un suolo che non è quelo terrestre. Si è detto e scritto di tutto, rispetto alla missione Apollo 11. Forse un aspetto meno noto è quello che segue e che riguarda il pilota dell'Eagle (il modulo lunare) e il secondo a toccare il suolo "Buzz" Aldrin:

Aldrin is a Presbyterian, and is known for his statements about God. After landing on the moon, Aldrin radioed earth with these words: "I'd like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours, and to give thanks in his or her own way." He received Communion on the surface of the Moon, but kept it secret because of a lawsuit brought by Madalyn Murray O'Hair over the reading of Genesis on Apollo 8.[13] Aldrin, a church elder, used a pastor's home Communion kit given to him by Dean Woodruff and recited words used by his pastor at Webster Presbyterian Church. [14][15] Webster Presbyterian Church, a local congregation in Webster, Texas (a Houston suburb near the Johnson Space Center) possesses the chalice used for communion on the moon, and commemorates the event annually on the Sunday closest to July 20.