Biblical message from members of Artemis II moon exploration crew
The U.S.-led space mission, Artemis II, part of a new moon exploration program, sent a biblical message back to Earth on Resurrection Sunday.
The four individuals selected for this 10-day trip to the moon and back are Victor Glover, an Evangelical Christian; Christina Koch, a CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut; Jeremy Hansen; and Reid Wiseman, according to NASA.
Last Wednesday, the launch director sent the latest mission off with the words, "Good luck, Godspeed Artemis II. Let's go!" The parting statement followed the tradition of previous launches, such as the first U.S. orbital spaceflight in 1962, which was sent off with "Godspeed, John Glenn!" and the SpaceX Crew in 2020. In the words of their Easter broadcast, crew members expressed their awareness of and appreciation for God and the profound significance of the created universe.
There have already been some emotional and heartwarming moments, as the crew identified two lunar craters that had not previously been observed, asking to name one after their exploration capsule, “Integrity,” and the other “Carroll” after the late wife of commander Reid Wiseman, who died of cancer in 2020. As Hansen brought their request to Mission Control, the astronauts embraced in tears, comforting their bereaved crew member.
NASA explained why human beings, rather than robots, are necessary for such a mission, saying, “Human eyes and brains are highly sensitive to subtle changes in color, texture, and other surface characteristics. Having astronaut eyes observe the lunar surface directly, in combination with the context of all the advances that scientists have made about the Moon over the last several decades, may uncover new discoveries and a more nuanced appreciation for the features on the surface of the Moon.”
While there have been suggestions on social media that Wiseman is a “proud American Jew,” this claim has not yet been substantiated. However, Glover took his Bible on board and clearly nailed his Christian colors to the mast last Sunday.
The crew’s Easter message mirrored the 1968 Apollo 8 mission, during which the crew took turns reading from the Book of Genesis on Christmas Eve, with the lunar surface in the background. Asked if he had a message for Resurrection Sunday, Glover replied,
“As we are so far from Earth and looking at the beauty of creation, I think, for me, one of the really important personal perspectives that I have up here is I can really see the Earth as one thing,” he began. “When I read the Bible, and I look at all the amazing things that were done for us… You guys are talking to us because we’re in a spaceship really far from Earth, but you’re on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe and the cosmos.”
He continued, “Maybe the distance we are from you makes you think what we’re doing is special, but we’re the same distance from you. And I’m trying to tell you – just trust me – you are special. In all of this emptiness – this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe – you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together,” he said, speaking of the planet Earth.
“I think, as we go into Easter Sunday, thinking about all the cultures all around the world, whether you celebrate it or not, whether you believe in God or not, this is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing, and that we’ve gotta get through this together,” he added.
Hansen also contributed, saying, “No matter your faith or religion, for me the teachings of Jesus were always a very simple truth of love, universal love. Love yourself, and love others.”
“Something for us being here looking back at all of you through one tiny window, that just resonates 100 percent true,” he added. “Our goal as humanity should be to just follow in that example, there were many examples in the past, but that’s one example of love that we can just all follow in the footsteps, and it will serve us well.”
Meanwhile, Koch also affirmed the message of love and revealed that they had created their own Easter egg hunt on board, hiding eggs around the capsule. “They were the dehydrated scrambled egg variety, but we’re all pretty happy with them,” she said.
Their spacecraft will travel an expected total of 695,081 miles, including a lunar flyby, before splashdown off the coast of San Diego, California. They will pass within 4,070 miles of the moon to examine its surface and are expected to reach a maximum distance of 252,760 miles from Earth, according to NASA data. The trip will break the record for the furthest distance from Earth, according to the Times of Israel, going some 4,105 miles farther than Apollo 13.
Jo Elizabeth has a great interest in politics and cultural developments, studying Social Policy for her first degree and gaining a Masters in Jewish Philosophy from Haifa University, but she loves to write about the Bible and its primary subject, the God of Israel. As a writer, Jo spends her time between the UK and Jerusalem, Israel.
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