Read Time: 4 min 49 sec | Reading Level: 6th Grade

Last night, four astronauts lifted off for a journey around the moon (see their flight path).

NASA’s Artemis II mission launched last night at 6:24 p.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center in Florida (watch them blast off). The ascent marks the first crew headed for the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

The mission aims to put the never-before-launched crew ship, named Integrity, through its paces. The far-side four hope to make it 252,000 total miles in about 10 days, rocketing about 4,700 miles past the far side of the moon. Crew members could see parts of the lunar surface that no human has ever laid eyes on. 

The flight is a major milestone in NASA’s space race with China. Artemis II is one small step for Uncle Sam putting boots on the Big Cheese by 2028 (outpacing China’s 2030 goal).

Commander Reid Wiseman is leading the crew alongside pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian mission specialist Jeremy Hansen (meet the explorers). Riding along is a mascot named Rise, a stuffie designed by a California second-grader and chosen from 2,600 entries across 50 countries (see its out-of-this-world hat here). Rise is the mission’s official “zero-gravity indicator.”

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CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Even our most ingenious exploratory missions will never carry us beyond God’s boundless creativity. Our most daring leaps into the unknown are just a peek into places God has always been, since the day He spoke them into being.

“Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You, LORD, are the only God. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their stars, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them, and all the stars of heaven worship you.” 
Nehemiah 9:5-6 (CSB) (read full passage)

What gospel lesson can be taught through this story?
Journeys around the moon and images like these from powerful telescopes highlight that the universe is unfathomably big and beautiful… and yet God is still bigger than it all. 

The vastness of the universe can’t compare with the megavastness of our God, who spoke the stars and moon into existence and knows all the details we have yet to discover. 

But despite our Creator’s overwhelming transcendence, He still cares about the details of your life. He cares about your dreams and fears, He knows your favorite cereal, and He sees when you open the pickle jar for grandma. The God who is far beyond the far side of the moon is also the God who emptied Himself and took on the form of a weak, fragile human and died for you.

What do I want to make sure my kids know in light of this story?
The awe and even fear with which we approach things like space can teach us about “the fear of the LORD.”

The Bible says that the glimpses of God’s raw power we see in creation are meant to teach us to fear Him: “The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all the stars, by the breath of his mouth… Let the whole earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him” (Psalm 33:6-8 CSB). 

This isn’t the kind of fear that drives us away from God (one of Scripture’s most frequent commands is “do not be afraid”), it’s the kind of awe that draws us near and drives out every other fear.

Gen Z Word of the Week: Mandalorians never remove their helmets. That’s canon.

Family Fun: Wishing you could travel someplace exotic? Explore the world without leaving your living room with one of these virtual tours.

Whipped Cream on Top: Playing Frogger... with shadows.

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