Which Apollo 11 astronaut privately took communion on the Moon?

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin privately took communion on the Moon.

Aldrin was a Presbyterian elder and carried a small communion kit prepared by Dean Woodruff, pastor of Webster Presbyterian Church in Texas. After the lunar module Eagle landed, and before beginning the moonwalk, Aldrin privately took communion and read from the Gospel of John. He later said the communion elements were the first food and liquid consumed on the Moon.

The ceremony was not broadcast directly. NASA was facing a lawsuit brought by atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair after the Apollo 8 crew had read from Genesis during a broadcast, so Aldrin chose not to describe the communion over the radio. Instead, he made a more general public request for listeners to pause and give thanks in their own way.

Neil Armstrong and Aldrin were the two astronauts who descended to the lunar surface, while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit aboard Columbia. That distinction helps avoid another common error: Collins was part of the Apollo 11 crew, but he did not take communion on the Moon. Webster Presbyterian still commemorates the event and preserves the chalice associated with it.