Meet the Man of Faith Helping Pilot NASA’s Historic Return to the Moon
Michael Foust
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By Michael Foust, Crosswalk.com
America is returning to the moon this year, and the mission’s pilot is a man of faith who once carried communion cups into orbit and watched livestreamed church services while orbiting Earth.
NASA’s Artemis II is scheduled to circle the moon with a four-person crew as early as February, with multiple launch windows extending into later this year depending on various issues, including weather and technical readiness.
The first launch window opens Feb. 6, with the mission – if it lifts off – lasting 10 days and marking humanity’s first crewed journey to the moon since the Apollo era of the 1970s. While no astronauts will set foot on the lunar surface as part of Artemis II, the flight nevertheless represents a major step forward, laying the groundwork for a return to the moon and, one day, perhaps a journey to Mars.
The mission is similar to Apollo 8 (1968) and Apollo 10 (1969), which also circled the moon and paved the way for the more famous Apollo 11 mission that carried Neil Armstrong to the lunar surface.
Pilot Victor Glover will be joined by Reid Wiseman, who will serve as commander, along with mission specialists Christina Koch of NASA and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.
Glover previously served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station during Expedition 64, a 168-day 2020-21 mission during which he packed a Bible, carried communion cups, and followed livestreamed worship services from his home church while orbiting Earth.
In 2022, Glover spoke at Abell Street Church of Christ in Wharton, Texas, where he reflected on faith, growth, and what it meant to follow Christ even while serving in space.
“I was able to worship” in space, Glover said. “... I was able to take communion every week I was in space.”
NASA “supported me and my family's desire to continue to worship and to continue our faith walk even while I was off the planet,” he added.
“That was really important to me,” Glover said.
He reflected on 2 Peter 1, where the Apostle Peter urges believers to “add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.”
“I think the world needs all of those things right now,” Glover told the Texas church, referencing the chapter. “The world needs all of those. We need all of those right now.”
He encouraged the members of the congregation not to stay stagnant in their faith.
“No matter how long we've been in this, whether you're a preacher, an elder, or a deacon, brand new in your faith walk, we all need to be growing,” Glover said.
Jesus, he said, is the peace the world needs.
“We have a sin nature, and we need Jesus,” he said. “Jesus is that bridge that spans sin and gives us a chance of going to heaven.”
Glover said his International Space Station crewmates came from many different belief backgrounds, something he said he genuinely enjoyed. He and his ISS crewmates sat in the window and “looked at the earth and had philosophical discussions about God” and “everything under the sun,” he said.
“We had a Catholic up there, a Christian, a few non-believers, and a Buddhist,” he told the church. “And I tell you what – all of us wanted to fellowship in the evening [after] being alone and working hard all day long. And that human desire to be together, to be with our brothers and sisters, is a thing that I think about all the time.”
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Photo Credit: ©NASA
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
