Celebrating 50 Years of the Space Window

Fifty years ago this summer, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins presented the Cathedral with a piece of the moon scooped up by the Apollo 11 mission.

That tiny sliver of lunar rock from the Sea of Tranquility was embedded in a window to honor scientists and technicians, and it’s become one of the most beloved features at the Cathedral.

We’re rolling out a host of events to celebrate the anniversary this weekend, and you can see the full run-down here.

But first, a fun fact: Did you know the iconic window was actually the 12th design from artist Rodney Winfield? It took that many tries to get the design just right.

Check out this story from Google Arts & Culture on how the window was created: