Magnificent flown complete microfilm King James Bible, 1.5" x 1.5", identified as No. 13–001, carried into lunar orbit during the Apollo 13 mission from April 11–17, 1970, on behalf of Reverend John M. Stout, director of the Apollo Prayer League. The iconic ‘Lunar Bible’ represents the first Bible and the first complete scripture ever carried by man to another celestial world. Printed as a ‘microform’ tablet—the only format possible for flight to the lunar surface—this complete Lunar Bible contains all 1,245 pages of the King James Version and represents one of the 512 microform Bibles that were created and flown on the Apollo 13 mission; upon their safe return to Earth, some of the Apollo 13–flown Bibles were distributed to dignitaries and notable persons, including George H. W. Bush , a documented member of the Apollo Prayer League. The Lunar Bible is impressively suede-matted and mounted within a golden Christian Cross encasement designed by the Apollo Prayer League, with black banners containing raised text: “Apollo 13, Odyssey, Aquarius, 1970 A.D.”; framed without glass to an overall size of 10.5 x 11.5. In fine condition.
Included with the Lunar Bible is a typed presentation sheet signed in black ink by the full Apollo 13 crew: “James Lovell,” “Jack Swigert,” and “Fred W. Haise.” The sheet, one page, 8 x 10.5, NASA letterhead, with identification No. 13-001, reads, in full: “This bible was flown to the moon April 11–17, 1970 on Apollo 13 spacecraft.” Also included is a certificate of authenticity from the Apollo Prayer League, signed by John Stout and Cdr. Lovell, which reads: “I certify that this Holy Bible denoted as Serial Number 13-001 was flown to the moon by Apollo 13 Commander James Lovell on April 11, 1970…It was presented to the Apollo 13 crew…by George H. W. Bush, in conjunction with Reverend John M. Stout, for the purpose of landing it on the surface of the moon on board the lunar module Aquarius…This Lunar Bible was later returned to Reverend Stout, where it remained in the Apollo Prayer League Lunar Bible archives until its release...in 2009 with permission from Apollo 13 Commander James Lovell.” A photo of Lovell at the time of the certificate signing is included.
Accompanying provenance related to the rich history of the Apollo 13 Lunar Bible is as follows:
A copy of a four-page affidavit authorized by Stout, which documents the history of the Apollo Lunar Bible, his roles as the founder and director of the Apollo Prayer League, as a Senior Information Scientist and Sr. Document Engineer at NASA during the Apollo program, and then as the exclusive custodian of the Lunar Bibles that were not distributed.
A provenance package containing material related to a flown Apollo 13 Lunar Bible, which United States Ambassador George Bush presented to Apollo 11 CMP Michael Collins on June 29, 1971; Collins accepted the Lunar Bible on behalf of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM). The package features copies of a NASM accession worksheet for the Collins Lunar Bible, correspondence between Stout, Collins, and Bush, a typescript interview between Stout and the CBS Radio Network, and articles related to the flights of the Apollo Lunar Bible. Included is a framed glossy photo of Collins being handed the Lunar Bible by Bush, with an original authentic signature signed in black felt tip by Bush; a printed Collins signature is also inherent to the image. The additional documentation is housed within an embossed black leather presentation portfolio.