A Christian astronaut and the first African-American to go on a long-term mission took a Bible and communion cups along.
Capsule Resilience
Victor Glover traveled to the International Space Station in the SpaceX Crew Dragon’s capsule Resilience which happens to be “the first commercially developed space vehicle certified by NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration to ferry astronauts up to low-Earth orbit and back again.”
Along with him, three other crew members will be staying at the space station until spring. Victor took his Bible and communion cups to be abreast with his faith even while in space. The 44-year-old said he will be participating in “virtual service” and “virtual giving” using the internet connection aboard the spacecraft to keep his faith alive.
Sharing his faith
Before going on his first space journey, he was a Navy F/A-18 carrier pilot who flew combat missions in Iraq and has also served as a legislative aide. “Before I go and even get in an airplane to go on a flight, I say a prayer. And I always think about my family,” he said.
Victor is a married man and he and his wife Dionna have been married for 18 years and have four children. He made his first tweet after arriving at the space destination. “Go Crew Dragon, Go Resilience!!! Big thank you to the teams at @NASA and @SpaceX for keeping us safe on the ride up. Next stop, @Space_Station,” he wrote.
Blessed to be American
In a video interview, Victor said, “God doesn’t really have to have a concern for my patriotism. But I am an American, and we were blessed to be born in America.” He added, “All of us should understand … the legacy that we’re all a part of. … I do think we have work to do in terms of making sure that a complete and entire whole story is told.”
