Astronauts, cosmonauts, and spaceflight participants have observed their religions while in space, sometimes publicly, sometimes privately. On Christmas Eve, 1968 astronaut Frank Borman read from the Book of Genesis as Apollo 8 orbited the moon.[1] Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, a Presbyterian, performed a communion service for himself using a kit provided by his church. Aldrin had told flight director Chris Kraft of his plans and intended to broadcast the service back to Earth but opted not to at the request of Deke Slayton, due to the continuing controversy over the Apollo 8 incident.[2]
Muslims aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have struggled with fulfilling their religious obligations including kneeling and facing Mecca to pray in microgravity traveling at thousands of miles per hour. The issue first came up when Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a Saudi prince, flew aboard STS-51-G and again when Anousheh Ansari flew as a tourist to the International space station.[3] In preparation for Malaysia's Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor trip to the ISS in 2007, the National Fatwa Council created "Muslim Obligations in the International Space Station" outlining permissible modifications to rituals such as kneeling when praying (not required in space), facing Mecca when praying (left to the astronaut's best abilities at the start of prayer), and washing (a wet towel will suffice).[4]
On STS-128 astronaut Patrick Forrester brought a fragment of a Missionary Aviation Fellowship aircraft which crashed in Ecuador in 1956.[5] Russian Orthodox Christmas was celebrated on the International Space Station, on January 7, 2011.[6] Cosmonauts had the day off, but one of the other crew tweeted, "Merry Christmas to all Russia."[6] The whole crew also celebrated on December 25, two weeks prior.[6]
A microfilm Bible that had been to the surface of the Moon was to be auctioned of in 2011.[7] It was a King James Version created after three astronauts lost their lives in the Apollo 1 fire.[7] Edward White, one of the astronauts who perished had wanted to take a Bible to the Moon.[7]
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