On April 12, 1961—63 years ago today—Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut, became the first human to journey into outer space, completing one orbit of Earth before returning safely.  Exactly 20 years later, on April 12, 1981, the first space shuttle—that is, a reusable space vehicle—Columbia, made its maiden flight into space, returning two days later after orbiting the Earth 36 times.  The shuttle made returning to space over and over again much more possible.  And as of today, April 12, 2024, the rover Perseverence is still roaming around the planet Mars collecting rocks and data and pictures—most people think some day we’ll send a man there, too.

But why even bother to go to outer space?  What’s the point of reaching for the moon, the stars, the planets?  Some might say it is because of all the useful knowledge we can get from space.  After all, space exploration has contributed to the development of solar panels; implantable heart monitors; cancer therapy; water-purification systems, and much more.

But that’s not the reason most astronauts will give.  Buzz Aldrin, the American and second man to walk on the moon, said that “Exploration is wired into our brains.  If we can see the horizon, we want to know what’s beyond.” 

And Yuri Gagarin famously said of his journey to outer space: “I looked and looked but didn’t see God.”  Maybe he didn’t see God, but in his trip to outer space, he couldn’t help but look for Him.  Gagarin and Aldrin and most of the others didn’t embark on their journeys just to make better solar panels or water-purification systems—they went out of a raw sense of wonder, a desire to “know what’s beyond.”

My question for you today is: What’s your wonder?  What grand curiosity just makes you want to know…and where will it take you?

Have a truly wonderful day and weekend.