An Amazing Christmas Eve Story from 1968 . . . from Space

December 23, 2025

I was newly married. It was a dark time in our nation’s history—the Vietnam War was being fought, most notably. The crew of Apollo 8 was preparing for their voyage to orbit the moon. They were to be the first humans to orbit the Moon. As they prepared for their voyage, they had a question in their mind that, when answered, was amazing. Apollo 8 commander, Frank Borman could not come up with what to say on their Christmas Eve broadcast. Joseph Laitin of the Bureau of the Budget was asked to assist. He, too, felt unable to come up with a reading.

The answer came from none other than his wife, Christine Laitin, who suggested that they look to the Old Testament and use the beginning of Genesis. Interestingly enough, as a young teenager, she was a member of the French Resistance during the occupation of Paris in World War II.

“The Genesis text was printed on fire-proof paper and included in the mission flight plan.” (from Wikipedia)

During the ninth orbit of the Moon astronauts Bill Anders, Jim Lovell, and Frank Borman recited verses 1 through 10 of the Genesis creation account.

Get this—One in four people on Earth—roughly a billion people spread among 64 countries—listened to the reading. Within 24 hours, recorded broadcasts of the address from the moon reached people in another 30 countries. (from Wikipedia)

And today, 57 years later, we have the technology to click on YouTube and there it is!

I am excited to be able to share this beautiful, unforgettable reading from Genesis 1.