Christian astronaut Victor Glover was picked to pilot NASA’s first trip around the moon in over 50 years.
As part of the “Artemis Generation,” Glover is one of four chosen as part of the Artemis II Crew to establish a “long-term presence on the lunar surface” in Aug. 2024.
“I want to thank God for this amazing opportunity,” Glover said after he was chosen for the mission earlier this month in Houston, Texas.
“We need to celebrate this moment in human history,” he explained. “Because Artemis II is more than a mission to the moon and back. It’s more than a mission that has to happen before we send people to the surface of the moon. It is the next step on the journey that gets humanity to Mars.”
Glover, who will be the pilot for the mission, was a U.S. Navy commander who flew combat missions in Iraq and served as a legislative fellow in the U.S. Senate.
Buzz Aldrin took Holy Communion, read this Bible verse on the Moon
“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,” he added. “Thank you and God bless us all.”
Glover, who will be the pilot for the mission, was a former U.S. Navy commander who flew combat missions in Iraq and served as a legislative fellow to the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., before he joined NASA in 2013.
The devout Christian is a member of Churches of Christ in the Houston area and recently discussed his six-month mission to the International Space Station, where he brought his Bible and communion cups.
“I was able to worship” in space,” Glover told the Abell Street Church of Christ in Wharton. “… I was able to take communion every week I was in space.” NASA, he said, “supported me and my family’s desire to continue to worship and to continue our faith walk even while I was off the planet.”
Glover will be joined by Christina Hammock Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on the 10-day-long flight test of NASA’s Orion spacecraft.
When astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, a devout Christian, made history landing on the moon, the first thing he did was give thanks to God and he took Holy Communion as well.
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Caleb Parke is the SMG managing editor. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and connect with him at calebparke.com.
