Aside from being buried alive, I’m not sure I can think of a more terrifying death than being stranded in space. At least you’d have a good view. Anyway, in the name of preparedness, the Nixon administration drafted a speech in case the moon landing ended up being a one-way trip for the astronauts.
Written by the recently deceased William Safire, the language of the speech is intriguing. It leans heavily on spirituality, but only specifically references religion in a side instruction involving the Lord’s Prayer. It does, however, explicitly state that Mother Earth will mourn the death of two of “her sons.”
In the wake of so many NASA tragedies following the agency’s early successes, it is easy enough to read this speech and believe it.
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