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Description of  To Touch the Face of God: The Sacred, the Profane, and the American Space Program, 1957 1975 (New Series in NASA History)

1421407884 pdf Was the space program the signature project of secular modernity or a symbol of humankinds perpetual quest for communion with God? In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth . . . In 1968 the world watched as Earth rose over the moonscape, televised from the orbiting Apollo 8 mission capsule. Radioing back to Houston on Christmas Eve, astronauts recited the first ten verses from the book of Genesis. In fact, many of the astronauts found space flight to be a religious experience. To Touch the Face of God is the first book-length historical study of the relationship between religion and the U.S. space program. Kendrick Oliver explores the role played by religious motivations in the formation of the space program and discusses the responses of religious thinkers such as Paul Tillich and C. S. Lewis. Examining the attitudes of religious Americans, Oliver finds that the space program was a source of anxiety as well as inspiration. It was not always easy for them to tell whether it was a godly or godless venture. Read more