Astronauts describe struggle to grasp otherworldly sights

Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman doesn’t consider himself religious, but he asked to speak with a chaplain shortly after arriving back on Earth. Speaking at a NASA news conference Thursday, Wiseman said that while he was on the Navy ship that retrieved the Artemis II crew after splashdown, he felt he needed someone to talk to about his experiences in space. When the chaplain walked into his cabin, Wiseman saw the cross on his collar and broke down in tears, he said.

After a busy week of scientific tests back on earth, Wiseman still struggled to grasp what he’d seen, he said. During the mission, as he watched the sun eclipsed by the moon, Wiseman felt the sight was beyond human comprehension, he said. He wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Artemis II pilot Victor Glover, a Christian, said his experiences were similar to Wiseman’s and he needed time to process. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said he felt “infinitesimally small” and fragile while gazing out at the moon and stars. But he also felt that the crew was powerful as a team, he said.

Did the astronauts comment on their newfound fame? All of them said they were surprised to return and find out how many millions of people closely followed the mission and appreciated their work. Mission specialist Christina Koch said that she was moved when hearing about the response and that all she ever wanted was to do something that would bring people together.

What did the Artemis II crew say about the technical side of the mission? Glover said the Orion spacecraft handled very well, and he enjoyed flying it. Some technical issues, like a helium leak and toilet clogs, need to be fixed for next time, but didn’t become large problems, the astronauts said. The craft’s heat shield only lost charred pieces in one or two spots, particularly where the shield met the rest of the spacecraft, Wiseman said. The shield was the same model as the one used in the Artemis I unmanned mission, which lost large pieces. NASA modified the Artemis II reentry path to minimize shield damage.

What does Scripture say about such otherworldly sights? “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you visit him? For you have made him a little lower than the angels, and you have crowned him with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:3-5).

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun” (Psalm 19:1-4).

Dig deeper: Read my report on the astronauts’ first public messages following their return to Earth.