The heavens declare the glory of God

Voyager was launched on 5 September 1977 to study the outer planets. It completed this task in 1989 and has just kept going. It is now 12 billion miles from earth. It takes 17 hours for radio signals from Voyager to reach earth.

Voyager is now moving on to explore interstellar space. It will not approach another star for nearly 40,000 years, even though it is moving at 100,000mph. Transmissions from Voyager will stop in 10 years when its plutonium power sources are expected to run.

In December 1968 Apollo 8 was the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon. The three astronauts were the first people to see the earth as a whole planet and were filled with awe. As they orbited the moon they read from Genesis, Chapter 1.

Bill Anders began, “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.”

Frank Borman ended “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.’ From the crew, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas and God bless all of you on the good Earth.”