To Touch the Face of God: The Sacred, the Profane, and the American Space Program, 1957–1975 - Couverture rigide

Livre 11 sur 13: New Series in NASA History

Oliver, Kendrick

 
9781421407883: To Touch the Face of God: The Sacred, the Profane, and the American Space Program, 1957–1975
Couverture rigide
ISBN 10 : 1421407884 ISBN 13 : 9781421407883
Editeur : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013

Synopsis

Was the space program the signature project of secular modernity or a symbol of humankind's perpetual quest for communion with God?

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth . . ."

In 1968 the world watched as Earth rose over the moonscape, televised from the orbiting Apollo 8 mission capsule. Radioing back to Houston on Christmas Eve, astronauts recited the first ten verses from the book of Genesis. In fact, many of the astronauts found space flight to be a religious experience. To Touch the Face of God is the first book-length historical study of the relationship between religion and the U.S. space program.

Kendrick Oliver 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, Oliver 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. Oliver's study is rigorous and detailed but also contemplative in its approach, examining the larger meanings of mankind's first adventures in "the heavens."

Les informations fournies dans la section « Synopsis » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

À propos de l?auteur

Kendrick Oliver is a reader in American history in the Faculty of Humanities, University of Southampton, United Kingdom.

Les informations fournies dans la section « A propos du livre » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

Éditeur
Johns Hopkins University Press
Date d'édition
2013
Langue
anglais
ISBN 10 
1421407884
ISBN 13 
9781421407883
Reliure
Relié
Nombre de pages
248
Coordonnées du fabricant
non disponible
Personne responsable
Buchpark GmbH
gpsr@buchpark.de

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