Tomorrow marks the fiftieth anniversary of the moment when men first stepped on the Moon’s surface. The Apollo 11 Moon landing remains indelibly etched in my mind’s eye. Shortly after lunch on July 20, 1969, ten of my fellow University of Toronto astronomy grad students and two astronomy professors headed upstairs with me to the department lounge to watch the only television available. We watched and listened intently to communications between Houston and the Lunar Command Module, Columbia, especially during the delicate separation of the Lunar Module, Eagle, from Columbia.

Satisfied that the Eagle and her two passengers were safely (and slowly) on their way to the Moon’s surface, we went back to our offices and our pressing research projects. A couple of hours later, we returned in time to hear, unforgettably, “The Eagle has landed.” Knowing several more hours would pass before Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin could exit the Eagle, all but two of us went back to our studies. I vividly remember the shout from upstairs, “You better come now!” Within minutes we saw Armstrong gingerly descend the ladder, declaring, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

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Figure 1: Buzz Aldrin Next to the Passive Seismic Experiment Instrument with Eagle in the Background. The laser reflector is slightly to the left of about halfway between the Passive Seismic Experiment Instrument and the Eagle Lunar Module. Image credit: NASA

Not only were we enthralled to see Armstrong and Aldrin bounce around on the lunar surface, picking up rocks, but we were also glad to see them set up a special laser reflector. Designed to yield progressively higher-precision tests of general relativity, this reflector has performed wonderfully, affirming general relativity to an unprecedented degree.1 What’s more, it has been used to constrain changes in Newton’s gravitational constant to less than two parts in ten trillion per year. The latter finding attests “the fixed laws of heaven and earth” (see Jeremiah 33:25). Heading home at 2:30 AM, I sensed that the night of July 20–21, 1969, would compare with few other events of my lifetime.

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Figure 2: Apollo 11 Lunar Laser Ranging Reflector. Image credit: NASA

Featured Image: The Eagle Lunar Module Ascending from the Moon Toward Columbia, the Lunar Command Module. Image credit: NASA

 

Check out more from Reasons to Believe @Reasons.org

Endnotes
  1. Hugh Ross, “General Relativity and Its Christian Implications Pass Yet More Tests,” Today’s New Reason to Believe (blog), Reasons to Believe, December 18, 2017, https://reasons.org/explore/blogs/todays-new-reason-to-believe/read/todays-new-reason-to-believe/2017/12/18/general-relativity-and-its-christian-implications-pass-yet-more-testsJames G. Williams, Slava G. Turyshev, and Dale H. Boggs, “Lunar Laser Ranging Tests of the Equivalence Principle,” Classical and Quantum Gravity 29, no. 18 (August 15, 2012); id.184004, doi:10.1088/0264-9381/29/18/184004.

 

About The Author

Dr. Hugh Ross

Reasons to Believe emerged from my passion to research, develop, and proclaim the most powerful new reasons to believe in Christ as Creator, Lord, and Savior and to use those new reasons to reach people for Christ. I also am eager to equip Christians to engage, rather than withdraw from or attack, educated non-Christians. One of the approaches I’ve developed, with the help of my RTB colleagues, is a biblical creation model that is testable, falsifiable, and predictive. I enjoy constructively integrating all 66 books of the Bible with all the science disciplines as a way to discover and apply deeper truths. 1 Peter 3:15–16 sets my ministry goal, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience." Hugh Ross launched his career at age seven when he went to the library to find out why stars are hot. Physics and astronomy captured his curiosity and never let go. At age seventeen he became the youngest person ever to serve as director of observations for Vancouver's Royal Astronomical Society. With the help of a provincial scholarship and a National Research Council (NRC) of Canada fellowship, he completed his undergraduate degree in physics (University of British Columbia) and graduate degrees in astronomy (University of Toronto). The NRC also sent him to the United States for postdoctoral studies. At Caltech he researched quasi-stellar objects, or "quasars," some of the most distant and ancient objects in the universe. Not all of Hugh's discoveries involved astrophysics. Prompted by curiosity, he studied the world’s religions and "holy books" and found only one book that proved scientifically and historically accurate: the Bible. Hugh started at religious "ground zero" and through scientific and historical reality-testing became convinced that the Bible is truly the Word of God! When he went on to describe for others his journey to faith in Jesus Christ, he was surprised to discover how many people believed or disbelieved without checking the evidence. Hugh's unshakable confidence that God's revelations in Scripture and nature do not, will not, and cannot contradict became his unique message. Wholeheartedly encouraged by family and friends, communicating that message as broadly and clearly as possible became his mission. Thus, in 1986, he founded science-faith think tank Reasons to Believe (RTB). He and his colleagues at RTB keep tabs on the frontiers of research to share with scientists and nonscientists alike the thrilling news of what's being discovered and how it connects with biblical theology. In this realm, he has written many books, including: The Fingerprint of God, The Creator and the Cosmos, Beyond the Cosmos, A Matter of Days, Creation as Science, Why the Universe Is the Way It Is, and More Than a Theory. Between writing books and articles, recording podcasts, and taking interviews, Hugh travels the world challenging students and faculty, churches and professional groups, to consider what they believe and why. He presents a persuasive case for Christianity without applying pressure. Because he treats people's questions and comments with respect, he is in great demand as a speaker and as a talk-radio and television guest. Having grown up amid the splendor of Canada's mountains, wildlife, and waterways, Hugh loves the outdoors. Hiking, trail running, and photography are among his favorite recreational pursuits - in addition to stargazing. Hugh lives in Southern California with his wife, Kathy, and two sons.



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