A Christmas Eve miracle

Fifty-six years ago today — on Christmas Eve — the most famous photograph in human history was taken by an explorer named Bill Anders. It was taken at the end of one of the most tumultuous years in American history, when many people believed the republic was breaking.

This was the first image of the Earth ever seen, set against the blackness of space.

Before it, no one had ever seen the Earth, fully, completely — a beautiful blue marble floating in space.

The American astronauts of the Apollo 8 mission spoke to the people of Earth from their tiny capsule as it came around the back side of the moon. They did not shout “USA! USA!”

They did not speak about power and science. They did not mention physics, computers, metallurgy, alloys, trajectories, thrust, and the military applications.

They did not boast or brag.

They did not threaten or bluster.

Instead, they let the people of our planet look out the window with them. This is what they said as humanity had its first look at what we shared:

Bill Anders

Oh my God! Look at that picture over there! There's the Earth coming up. Wow, that's pretty.

Frank Borman

Hey, don't take that, it's not scheduled. (joking)

Bill Anders

(laughs) You got a color film, Jim? Hand me that roll of color quick, would you...

Jim Lovell

Oh man, that's great!

Then they read from the book of Genesis:

Bill Anders

We are now approaching lunar sunrise, and for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

Jim Lovell

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.^[6]

Frank Borman

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas – and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.^[6]

Twenty-two years before humanity saw that image the very first photo of the Earth was taken from space. The United States put a camera into the nose cone of one of Adolf Hitler’s captured wonder weapons, the V2, and used an instrument of death to see something beautiful. Here is the photo:

Here is a photo from the James Webb space telescope, which may be the greatest scientific instrument ever built by mankind. This image is from the beginning of time, at the birth of the universe. It is as extraordinary as it is incomprehensible:

Fifty-six years ago tonight the men and women of NASA and their partners across the United States showed the world the power of American ingenuity, daring and genius.

They proved miracles can most certainly happen on Christmas Eve.

They did it again today.

Flying at over 466,000 mph the US-made NASA Parker Solar Probe passed through the Corona of the sun today.

Think about that this Christmas, and say you don’t believe in Christmas.

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