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More Than an Ark on Ararat: Spiritual Lessons Learned While Searching for Noah's Ark
Book by Irwin, James B., Unger, Monte
95 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 1985
8 people want to read
About the author
James B. Irwin
6 books3 followersIn 1971, during the U.S. Apollo 15 space mission, James Irwin became the eighth person to walk on the moon. Irwin experienced the lunar mission as a religious awakening and later founded an evangelical Christian religious organization.
He retired from NASA in 1972 and founded the High Flight Foundation, an interdenominational religious organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
In the early 1980s, Irwin mounted annual expeditions to Mount Ararat in Turkey in search of Noah's Ark. In 1982, he made it to the mountaintop but fell and was injured. The next year, he flew a plane over the summit to look for remains of the ark, but he never found any. Irwin had a history of heart problems and died of a heart attack on August 8, 1991.
He retired from NASA in 1972 and founded the High Flight Foundation, an interdenominational religious organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
In the early 1980s, Irwin mounted annual expeditions to Mount Ararat in Turkey in search of Noah's Ark. In 1982, he made it to the mountaintop but fell and was injured. The next year, he flew a plane over the summit to look for remains of the ark, but he never found any. Irwin had a history of heart problems and died of a heart attack on August 8, 1991.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 25, 2025
THE STORY OF ONE (UNSUCCESSFUL) EXPEDITION
Apollo astronaut James B. Irwin wrote in the Preface to this 1985 book, “I’ve been interested in Noah’s ark since I was a young lad in Sunday School. The journey to the moon opened up new doors. I… met Eryl Cummings, who is regarded as the American expert on the ark. He has spent forty years … researching it and has been to Turkey’s Mount Ararat seventeen times. I thought it would be interesting to look for the ark, so I told Cummings that … I’d love to go with him. About a year later, he called me to go with him to Turkey. However, the primary purpose of that trip was to look for the Ark of the Covenant… the Turkish government wouldn’t allow us to go on Mount Ararat… My interest continued to build. Cummings called me in 1982 and asked me to be a leader of an expedition to find the ark… This book is a result of that expedition.”
He wrote in the first chapter, “this book, though it does use our expedition as the cohesive thread throughout, takes a new direction. It tells what we did discover on the mountain, even though we didn’t discover the ark. We found something far more important.” (Pg. 13)
He recounts, “We had finally received the hard-to-get permission to climb the desolate mountain from Turkey’s president… One of the reasons gaining permission s so difficult is because of the political and military sensitivity of Mount Ararat. It is tucked away in the easternmost prong of Turkey, only a few miles from Russia to the north and Iran to the east. Because of this strategic zone, three elite Turkish commandos, armed with machine guns, accompanied our entire expedition.” (Pg. 14)
He observes, “We had everything going for us: government permission, the benefit of all previous ark-hunting research, eager climbers, good weather… I truly felt that God would allow me to find something even more significant from the Book of Genesis on the earth. But we didn’t find a shred of evidence of the ark, not a trace. So what was the trip all about? Surely God had SOMETHING in mind for fourteen of His dedicated children who had invested time, energy, and money in this adventure.” (Pg. 15)
He recalls, “I was traveling alone, disregarding the instructions I’d given everyone else. One morning I had hoped to reach the summit with a small group of climbers, but I was moving too slowly… I left the group… I set out for the rocky ridge down Ark Rock, but around noon I saw a shortcut down a snowfield. It was slippery, so I sat down to put on my crampons, and that’s the last thing I remember until near dusk. I must have been struck from behind by a falling rock. The next thing I knew I was at the bottom of the snowfield … and I was a bloody mess… Fortunately, I had my sleeping bag in my backpack, which was miraculously still on my back… I was shivering in the cold. I climbed into my sleeping bag, knowing I’d have to spend the night alone on the mountain.” (Pg. 63)
In the final chapter, he states, “I visited with the President of Turkey when I left the hospital. I was bearded, had broken teeth, and was scarred. Most of my hair was cut off. I was limping. He must have wondered who this crazy adventurer was. After I gave him a firsthand report, he invited, ‘Mr. Irwin, come back any time.’ Some of us did return---four weeks later. And we returned again in 1983 and 1984. The ark will be sought year after year. It’s a mystery that will live on and on until it is rediscovered… who knows? Maybe next year!” (Pg. 95)
This book will appeal to those interested in the ‘search for the Ark.’
Apollo astronaut James B. Irwin wrote in the Preface to this 1985 book, “I’ve been interested in Noah’s ark since I was a young lad in Sunday School. The journey to the moon opened up new doors. I… met Eryl Cummings, who is regarded as the American expert on the ark. He has spent forty years … researching it and has been to Turkey’s Mount Ararat seventeen times. I thought it would be interesting to look for the ark, so I told Cummings that … I’d love to go with him. About a year later, he called me to go with him to Turkey. However, the primary purpose of that trip was to look for the Ark of the Covenant… the Turkish government wouldn’t allow us to go on Mount Ararat… My interest continued to build. Cummings called me in 1982 and asked me to be a leader of an expedition to find the ark… This book is a result of that expedition.”
He wrote in the first chapter, “this book, though it does use our expedition as the cohesive thread throughout, takes a new direction. It tells what we did discover on the mountain, even though we didn’t discover the ark. We found something far more important.” (Pg. 13)
He recounts, “We had finally received the hard-to-get permission to climb the desolate mountain from Turkey’s president… One of the reasons gaining permission s so difficult is because of the political and military sensitivity of Mount Ararat. It is tucked away in the easternmost prong of Turkey, only a few miles from Russia to the north and Iran to the east. Because of this strategic zone, three elite Turkish commandos, armed with machine guns, accompanied our entire expedition.” (Pg. 14)
He observes, “We had everything going for us: government permission, the benefit of all previous ark-hunting research, eager climbers, good weather… I truly felt that God would allow me to find something even more significant from the Book of Genesis on the earth. But we didn’t find a shred of evidence of the ark, not a trace. So what was the trip all about? Surely God had SOMETHING in mind for fourteen of His dedicated children who had invested time, energy, and money in this adventure.” (Pg. 15)
He recalls, “I was traveling alone, disregarding the instructions I’d given everyone else. One morning I had hoped to reach the summit with a small group of climbers, but I was moving too slowly… I left the group… I set out for the rocky ridge down Ark Rock, but around noon I saw a shortcut down a snowfield. It was slippery, so I sat down to put on my crampons, and that’s the last thing I remember until near dusk. I must have been struck from behind by a falling rock. The next thing I knew I was at the bottom of the snowfield … and I was a bloody mess… Fortunately, I had my sleeping bag in my backpack, which was miraculously still on my back… I was shivering in the cold. I climbed into my sleeping bag, knowing I’d have to spend the night alone on the mountain.” (Pg. 63)
In the final chapter, he states, “I visited with the President of Turkey when I left the hospital. I was bearded, had broken teeth, and was scarred. Most of my hair was cut off. I was limping. He must have wondered who this crazy adventurer was. After I gave him a firsthand report, he invited, ‘Mr. Irwin, come back any time.’ Some of us did return---four weeks later. And we returned again in 1983 and 1984. The ark will be sought year after year. It’s a mystery that will live on and on until it is rediscovered… who knows? Maybe next year!” (Pg. 95)
This book will appeal to those interested in the ‘search for the Ark.’
September 28, 2011
A great little book by one of the twelve men to walk on the moon who was also a Christian and not afraid to live it. An interesting and inspiring read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews