Introduction : The blasphemy of going up -- A power greater than any of us : religion and secularity in the formation of the American space program -- Signals of transcendence : the rise and fall of space-age theology -- Into the other world : anticipations of spaceflight as religious experience -- Perhaps a meaning to us : the Apollo missions as religious experience -- Evil triumphs when good men do nothing : religious Americans and NASA in the autumn of the space age -- Epilogue
Summary
This book is a historical study of the relationship between religion and the U.S. space program. The author explores the role played by religious motivations in the formation of the space program and discusses the responses of religious thinkers such as Paul Tillich and C. S. Lewis. Examining the attitudes of religious Americans, the author finds that the space program was a source of anxiety as well as inspiration. It was not always easy for them to tell whether it was a godly or godless venture. Grounded in original archival research and the study of participant testimonies, this book also explores one of the largest petition campaigns of the post-war era. Between 1969 and 1975, more than eight million Americans wrote to NASA expressing support for prayer and Bible-reading in space. This study is rigorous and detailed, but also contemplative in its approach, examining the larger meanings of mankind's first adventures in "the heavens."
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages [171]-219) and index
