When NASA scientist and Chaplain John Stout accepted a position in the Apollo program at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, he planned to stay for only one year – no more.

      That all changed on January 27, 1967, when Apollo 1 astronaut Ed White II, the young astronaut he had often ministered to, died with his crewmates in a flash fire on the launch pad. As a chaplain to many of the astronauts, Stout had grown close to White, and knew the young astronaut had planned to carry a Bible to the moon.

      With this, Reverend Stout vowed to stay on and see Ed White's dream fulfilled. But undertaking a religious endeavor in the midst of a government space program was not an easy task.

      Among Stout's obstacles was a lawsuit launched by renowned atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair against NASA to prevent religious acts in space. It fell to Stout and his Apollo Prayer League to find a way.

      The result was an extraordinary drama that unfolded behind the scenes as America rushed headlong to the moon.

      The story of the Apollo Space Program is as unknown as it is unique. The technological triumphs of the Apollo missions were the focus of unparalleled media frenzy in the 1960s and '70s as America rushed headlong to the moon.

      Yet behind the forgotten bylines are the stories of those in NASA who undertook a challenge of a different sort. These astronauts were not only men of science, many were men of faith as well, and a daring that allowed them to leap into the unknown. The result is an extraordinary drama that unfolded behind the scenes.

      Their stories are as remarkable as the men and women who lived them.

Praise for The Apostles of Apollo

"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."
      – Apollo 17 Commander, Eugene Cernan

I have only just started reading this incredible story. . . . What I can tell you upon starting it, is that it is an astounding read. You do not have to be a Christian—or even remotely religious—to enjoy the story of the tenacious dedication that the Apollo Prayer League provided to make astronaut Edward White II dream of seeing a bible reach the lunar surface and return safely, a reality. They exceeded his dream by a further 299. The book is an engaging read and is skillfully crafted by interweaving the story of the Bible into the history of the Apollo Program. It is by no means a religious book. It is the story of the American Manned Space Program, and the dream of some dedicated Christians who worked as part of NASA's team to place a Bible on the surface of the Moon and returning.
      – Andy Clark

Books by
Carol Mersch

           

---