A few years ago, I took a trip with my cousin to go visit Kennedy Space Center. I’ve been there many times before and it’s always worth the effort to see such a unique place. From the Rocket Garden to the Imax theaters down to the bus tours that drive along launch pads that launched some of the most important space missions in the history of spaceflight, it’s definitely one of my favorite places to see.
On this visit I saw an exhibit dedicated to the memory of astronauts that have died during various space missions including the final flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia. The exhibit showcased display cases that highlighted various aspects of each astronaut that had died in the line of duty. Of particular note to me was the one dedicated to the memory of Rick Husband.
In this display case were a Boy Scout uniform from the astronaut’s youth, a pair of cowboy boots, and a Bible. Intrigued, I took a closer look at the Bible and noticed some text was underlined. It was Proverbs 3:5-6, Rick’s favorite bible passage.
After seeing this exhibit I wondered: were there other examples of astronauts expressing their faith during missions? It turns out that there are. A famous instance of this is the reading of Gensis 1:1-10 by the crew of Apollo 8. All three astronauts read a portion of the selected verses during a live broadcast as they orbited around the moon. What’s really interesting is that the selected verses were printed on fireproof paper and included in the mission flight plan!
It isn’t just scripture that makes it into space. In 2013 astronaut Mike Hopkins went on a mission to the International Space Station and, with special permission from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, took with him enough consecrated hosts so that he could take communion once a week during his 24 weeks in space.
Many words can be used to describe astronauts, such as smart, dedicated, and courageous. But until that trip to Kennedy Space Center I never really thought of astronauts as people of faith. Some of these men and women took their faith seriously enough to carry it with them beyond the bounds of our world. It makes me think that although it is hard sometimes to have a good work-life balance, our love of God should be a part of all that we do. Many astronauts take their faith with them into the unknowns of space. Do we take our faith into the unknowns of our lives?
God bless you.
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