He requested everyone to observe a few moments of silence and reflection in their own way. His way was to perform a communion ceremony for himself. Private in that only he participated.
Armstrong did not partake.
Added: as @Dorjan said.
I think you’re making a mountain out of a molehill. Aldrin requested and received permission to conduct a personal ritual during a moment of reflection. NASA allowed him to take a thimble-full of communion wine as part of his personal things. Armstrong is said to have brought a photo of his late daughter, which he reportedly left behind.
When Aldrin returned, he donated his (personal) communion kit to his church. He also donated a few grams of dust. I may be wrong, but I believe each astronaut was allowed a bit of moon dust to do with as he wished.
Yes, I am.
No, that is not correct.
Yes, really.
Yep. Nobody knew what moon rocks and dust contained. I’m pretty sure they had to be studied very carefully first. Remember the long quarantine the Apollo astronauts were required to undergo when they first returned?
Fair enough. I’m happy to be wrong.
This is incorrect. The stained glass windows at the church in Webster have a space theme, but no moon rocks. There is a Moon rock embedded in the center of the “space window” at the National cathedral in DC, however. people tend to conflate the two or get it mixed up.
It was just a small chalice. There is no need to exaggerate.
Also, he didn’t fill a stein.
From the palace?
Aldrin, it turns out, was also an active alcoholic during this time, and thankfully didn’t go into DTs during the mission.
During the COVID lockdown, the Lutheran church I attended had prepackaged “elements” (the wafer and wine) in a small container that looked like one of those sand timers they put in board games, and the ends could be peeled off. It was designs originally for shut-ins, and maybe Aldrin took something like this with him.
Thanks for this correction. One of the windows contains a meteorite fragment, not a moon fragment.
Like Lunchables, but with more Christ.
A “1 cm by 1 cm thin piece” of Allende.
Which is…a not very impressive amount? A couple or three grams. Would have only fractionally increased the cost of the window.
LOL! That’s an interesting comparison.
At my previous church we had a similar kit. I’ve visited some home-bound* congregation members and have administered communion to them in a small, simple ceremony.
I never cared for the term shut-ins, although it is frequently used.
Almost exactly 10 years ago, in March 2016, on a road trip to Texas I visited Webster Presbyterian, and in the narthex there I took this picture of Buzz Aldrin’s communion chalice that he brought and used. IIRC the wine he brought was in a small plastic squeeze bottle and he - very carefully and slowly - poured the wine into this small chalice. When you’re at only 17% of earth’s gravity it’d be easy to spill the wine out of this chalice.
BUZZ ALDRIN AN ELDER OF WEBSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, ON THE FIRST LUNAR LANDING.
A small replica of the plaque left on the moon that day.
HERE MEN FROM THE PLANET EARTH FIRST SET FOOT UPON THE MOON JULY 1969, A.D. WE CAME IN PEACE FOR ALL MANKIND.
Signed by Armstrong, Collins, Aldrin.
Signed by Richard Nixon, President.
IN COMMEMORATION OF ASTRONAUT EDWIN ALDRIN’S COMMUNION SERVICE AT THE APOLLO 11 MOON LANDING ON THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY JULY 11, 1969.
At my previous church I volunteered in different capacities, including being an Elder, and I was also the coordinator of the Board of Elders.
All pics in the imgur gallery ➜ Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s communion chalice - Album on Imgur ■
that wine surely put the Buzz into Aldrin
:rimshot:
How could NASA not have known or noticed something as important as alcoholism in Aldrin prior to launch?