Frank Borman (March 14, 1928-November 7, 2023) was the Commander of the Apollo VIII spacecraft, which was the first manned ship to orbit the moon. He served as a U.S. Air Force Officer; NASA director for space stations, 1969-70; vice-president of Eastern Airlines, 1970-75, president 1975-86.
The first mission to fly around the moon was Apollo 8 in 1968. The tiniest mistake would send them crashing into the moon's surface or off into endless space. As they successfully went into lunar orbit, astronaut William Anders snapped the famous Earthrise photo that was printed in Life Magazine.
As Apollo 8's three man crew looked down on the earth from 240,000 miles away, Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968, Commander Frank Borman radioed back a message, quoting from the Book of Genesis:
<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. 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.
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.> 1928FB001
In December of 1968, from aboard the Apollo VIII, Astronaut Frank Borman gave the prayer:
<Give us, O God, the vision which can see love in the world in spite of human failure. Give us the faith to trust Thy goodness in spite of our ignorance and weakness. Give us the knowledge that we may continue to pray with understanding hearts, and show us what each one of us can do to set forward the coming of the day of universal peace.> 1928FB002
Later Frank Borman explained:
<I had an enormous feeling that there had to be a power greater than any of us - that there was a God, that there was indeed a beginning.> 1928FB003
--
American Quotations by William J. Federer, 2024, All Rights Reserved, Permission granted to use with acknowledgement.
1928FB001. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Frank Borman, December 24, 1968, in a television up-linked message broadcast from the Apollo VIII spacecraft, as it circled the moon, Frank Borman, James A. Lovell, Jr., William A. Anders. Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Glory of America (Bloomington, MN: Garborg's Heart'N Home, Inc., 1991), 12.24. D.P. Diffine, Ph.D., One Nation Under God-How Close a Separation? (Searcy, Arkansas: Harding University, Belden Center for Private Enterprise Education, 6th edition, 1992), p. 17.
1928FB002. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Frank Borman, December 1968, in a prayer offered from aboard the Apollo VIII spacecraft. Our American Heritage (NY: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1970), p. 205. 1928FB003. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Frank Borman. Statement regarding Apollo 8 flight.