Between celebrating Easter with the family this weekend, I kept close tabs on the Artimas II mission, where four astronauts travelled the furthest distance from earth in circling around the moon.
As I watched the live video and studied their map on the app, finding where they were at different moments of that journey, it was hard not to be amazed just by the thought of what they’re experiencing.
First, in my noggin, I had pictured that they were just being shot toward the moon and whipping around it, only to be slingshot right back to earth. Nope…those brilliant folks from NASA mapped out their trajectory to where they met the moon, in its orbit, to loop around it. Sort of like threading a needle…except they threaded the moon through their loop. Uncle Merle didn’t just draw out a map in the dirt and say, “OK, we’re going to launch you right toward the moon…try not to hit it.”
What really got my mind racing was at the point where the spacecraft looped around the moon Monday evening. For the 256,756 mile journey from earth to the moon, NASA was in full communication with the crew (Yet I can’t get an AT&T signal in my house). But for 40 minutes, as the crew circled around the other side of the moon….they lost all communication with earth, which was planned due to--THE MOON. Can you imagine the thoughts that would rush out from the depths of your brain? You’re not just out of touch with your parents, sibling, and friends. You’re out of reach of HUMANITY. Just four people in an oversized milk can hurling through space. And yes, there’s a few things going on today that would make some say, “Ehh..what’s so bad about that?”.
Do you think they had a little mood music during this time? Maybe played “Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd? Or “Space Oddity” by David Bowie? Ground Control to Major Tom.....
And what did they see? I’m sure one side of the moon looks just like the other. But I’m sure their minds were racing, wondering if they’d see something out of the ordinary. Like maybe a pyramid. Or the Man in the Moon…you know that old vintage movie with the rocket ship stuck in the moon man’s eye. Or a Buc-ees. Or another one of those Dollar Generals, complete with two out-of-commission self-checkouts
