Christian astronaut — and his communion cups — lifting off on space mission
Online worship during the COVID-19 pandemic has helped prepare Victor…
Christian astronaut to pilot first crewed moon mission since 1972
The 10-day Artemis II mission will pave the way for a long-term lunar presence and deep space exploration.
For the first time in more than 50 years, four humans are set to visit the moon, NASA announced Monday.
Piloting the 2024 Artemis II mission will be Victor Glover, a Christian who has worshiped with Churches of Christ in the Houston area as well as his home state of California.
The crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission, from left: NASA Astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman and Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
A former Navy commander, Glover flew combat missions in Iraq and served as a legislative fellow to the late U.S. Sen. John McCain before joining NASA in 2013.
The Christian Chronicle previously profiled the astronaut just before a six-month mission to the International Space Station in 2020 — with his Bible and communion cups — when he became the first Black astronaut assigned to a long-duration mission.
Podcast: Victor Glover talks about partaking of the Lord’s Supper in space
“I would love to go to the moon, but that’s not something I control,” he told the Chronicle at the time.
Artemis II will not only make that dream a reality but cement Glover as the first Black astronaut to visit the moon, though he won’t be setting foot on it — yet.
Accompanying him on the 10-day flight test of NASA’s Orion spacecraft next November will be Commander Reid Wiseman and mission specialists Christina Hammock Koch and Jeremy Hansen — the first woman and first Canadian, respectively, to fly a lunar mission.
The last crewed mission to the moon, Apollo 17, took place more than half a century ago, in December 1972.
NASA says the Artemis II mission will pave the way for future moon landings and a long-term presence there — and eventually, the first crewed missions to Mars.
“I want to thank God for this amazing opportunity,” Glover said at the Artemis announcement event in Houston.
Related: Christian astronaut — and his communion cups — lifting off on space mission
But the celebration is about “so much more than the four names that have been announced,” he added. “We need to celebrate this moment in human history. …
“I pray that God will bless this mission. But I also pray that we can continue to serve as a source of inspiration, for cooperation and peace — not just between nations but in our own nation.”
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