This fragment of the Moon's surface was carried to Earth by the Apollo 11 crew. It was given to Rhode Island along with a small state flag that was carried to the Moon and back..
As Promised I have photographed the Moon rocks at the Rhode Island State House. They will be on display until Friday. When viewing the rocks (if you can call them that) initially what strikes you is just how small and unimpressive they are. It is incredible how small they are and how they look as if they have just been tucked away in a dark room somewhere collecting dust.
Similarly Buzz Aldrin when he reached the Moon was struck by the “magnificent desolation” of the lunar surface. The Moon in itself is desolate, and even filled with daunting terrain especially the far side which has a battered, densely cratered appearance with few maria. Also he was also stuck with the “velvet luminosity” of the sky. This symbolically makes a lot of sense as the Moon is fully dependent upon the Sun in order to provide light; without the Sun’s glory reflecting on the Moon it cannot shine. It is solely dependent on the Sun’s light for its “velvet luminosity”. Reaching the Moon represents the pinnacle of human accomplishment, and yet in many ways it has been wholly disappointing in accomplishing the goals of leading mankind to a greater peace and harmony and unity in human endeavor.
Granted it has brought us some pretty impressive technology; however the space program has also left us with some pretty hefty bills to pay in a time of mounting national deficits, so there is somewhat of a balance to maintain there. One must also wonder why it takes the hope of reaching the cosmos to drive us on to greater achievement. Perhaps there is something to be said for being more heavenly minded and reaping earthly good simply as a mere by product, but of course not so much so that we dare presume we can reach God through our endeavors. There is also the sense that we must continue to fight for greater achievement, we reached the Moon right at the height of the Cold War. Is that just by chance or is it perhaps because the times of greatest struggle drives us on to the greatest good!
Moon rocks along with the Rhode Island state flag, which was carried to the Moon and back by the crew of Apollo 11.
I want to leave with this quote, which I found on a NASA website: British astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle stated, “Once a photograph of the Earth, taken from outside, is available – once the sheer isolation of the Earth becomes known – a new idea as powerful as any in history will be let loose.”
What might that idea be? I would venture that the new idea ought to be a deeper sense that we are nothing apart from God; that we are ultimately insignificant and isolated in this vast universe and only God can free us.
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