OnDecember 24,1968, in what was the most watched television broadcast to date[citation needed], the crew of Apollo 8 read in turn from the Book of Genesis as they orbited the moon. William Anders, Jim Lovell, and Frank Borman recited verses 1 through 10, using the King James Version text.[1]
Madalyn Murray O'Hair, an atheist, responded by suing the United States government, alleging violations of the First Amendment.[2] The suit was dismissed by the Supreme Court due to lack of jurisdiction.[3] Later on the Apollo 11 mission, Buzz Aldrin received communion on the lunar surface shortly after landing. He kept his actions secret for many years.[2]
An excerpt from the recorded readings (most of Anders section) features prominently in "In the Beginning", the opening track the album The Songs of Distant Earth (1994) by Mike Oldfield .
The European electronic duo VNV Nation use a sample of the recording on "Genesis", a song from their 2002 album, Futureperfect.
In the Space: Above and Beyond episode "The River of Stars," the Apollo 8 recording is played for the 58th "Wildcards" Squadron.
The entire reading is reproduced verbatim in the "1968" episode of the HBO TV miniseries From the Earth to the Moon (miniseries).
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