A few minutes ago, the NASA Artemis II mission came to a successful conclusion when the Orion capsule containing four astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego. Here they are approaching earth…

Before splashdown, they had to jettison the service module:

The capsule came through the atmosphere just fine, the drogue chutes deployed as advertised and then the main chutes. And we have splashdown, right on schedule. The crew are fine. Praise the Lord.

The crew had at least one practicing Christian on board, pilot Victor Glover (top of picture):

Here’s an article published by Christianity Today three years ago when he was selected for the crew: NASA Astronaut Asks for Prayer for Moon Mission. It opens this way:

Victor Glover will pray his way to the moon.

When the Artemis 2 takes off sometime late next year, four astronauts will strap into a gumdrop-shaped capsule atop a tower of rockets taller than the Statue of Liberty. Mission control will count down—10, 9, 8, …—and a controlled explosion with 8.8 million pounds of force will fire, throwing the four astronauts from the coast of Florida into high-earth orbit, where another engine, setting spark to a mixture of liquid hydrogen and oxygen, will thrust them beyond the bonds of Earth for the first time in more than half a century.

And Glover, the pilot of the spacecraft, will say a few words to God.

I’d be saying A LOT of words to God! Rocket launches are terrifying, and re-entries are even scarier. June and I with our oldest son Mark gathered to watch the launch on April 1.

They circled the moon on Monday, April 6:

And they made it back. It’s the “and back” that’s important. Astronaut Jim Lovell who commanded the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission said, “Moonandback was always one word for us.”

Praise the Lord for courageous astronauts, a faithful and uber-competent ground support team, and for the engineers and mathematicians who correctly applied the laws of rocket science and orbital mechanics. Don’t miss the wonder of it all.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8.3, 4, ESV)

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (Psalm 19.1, ESV)

PS Christian astronaut Vic Glover had an Easter message from space. Stay tuned.