Norman Mailer: Works and Days

Mailer Says Piety Dulls Moon Appeal

An AP wire story quoting Mailer on the astronauts: 'tough men - daredevils' who, in their work for NASA, 'suddenly have to be priests.'

“Mailer Says Piety Dulls Moon Appeal,” an Associated Press wire story (31 January 1970), quotes Mailer on the astronauts as “tough men — daredevils” who, in their work for the space program, “suddenly have to be priests.” He adds that NASA “succeeded in making the transcendental event of the 20th century boring.” The comments belong to the moon material Mailer was developing in his Life installments (69.81, 69.83, 70.1).

First published: 1970-01-31
Form: article
Lennon & Lennon: 70.3a
Cite as: /works/1970-01-31-piety-dulls-moon-appeal
Last updated: 2026-05-31