The Week That Was....

 By Marilyn Moore

It’s been a week….more adjectives and nouns come to mind than can be set down on this page.  You can silently, or loudly, fill in the blanks as you choose….Throughout the week, I was struck by the sharp contrast of what was happening on planet Earth, particularly in the US foreign policy decisions and actions related to the war with Iran, and what was happening way above and beyond planet Earth, as Artemis II made its way to and around the moon, and home again.  

It started on Easter Sunday morning, a Christian day of celebration, the resurrection story that captures the very heart of Christian faith and belief.  In its more non-religious sense, Easter is celebrated as a time of new birth, fresh beginnings, the return of spring with its longer days, milder temperatures, and soft colors after a dark and dreary winter.  Some Christians are offended by the non-religious celebrations; I am not among them.  I think any celebration of life and birth and spring is a good thing.  

Easter is not a US holiday.  It does not mark any particular civic event.  It literally doesn’t take an Act of Congress, nor a court ruling, nor an executive order, to bring it about.  And I’m very grateful for that.  Most US presidents comment on the day, noting it as a time to reaffirm hope and kindness.  

That was not the message that President Trump shared on Easter Sunday.  Instead, he posted an obscenity-laced threat, directed toward the Iranian government, noting that they would be in hell if they did not accede to his demands.  

On that same Easter Sunday, Victor Glover, pilot of the Orion spacecraft, said this.  “In all of this emptiness…you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together.  I think as we go into Easter Sunday, thinking about all the cultures all around the world – whether you celebrate it or not, whether you believe in God or not – this is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing and that we’ve got to get through this together.”  

While receiving a fair amount of pushback for his Easter Day obscenities, President Trump did not change his message, nor his behavior.  At the traditional White House Easter Egg Roll on the day after Easter, he spoke to the children and their families who were present…and diverged from whatever planned remarks were intended to a rant against the Iranian government, which had not opened the Strait of Hormuz, in spite of his demands.  And he implied that the children there could someday grow up and join the Army and kill Iranians…not exactly the Easter Egg Roll message their parents had expected.

This was the day that Orion was to circle the moon, losing all radio connection with Earth during its 40-minute path on the back side of the moon.  That lack connection happened, as planned, and it seemed that for a few moments, the Earth took a collective breath, and held it, until connection was re-established as Orion emerged.  And then we learned the loving, kind, tear-inducing request from the crew, that a crater which straddles the light and dark sides of the moon and can occasionally be seen from Earth, be named Carroll, in memory of Commander Wiseman’s wife, who had died in 2020.  Jeremy Hansen said, “It’s a bright spot on the moon, and we would like to call it Carroll.”

On Tuesday, we awoke to another post from President Trump, threatening to obliterate the Iranian people, an entire civilization, if the Strait of Hormuz were not opened by that night at 8:00 p.m.  When pressed by reporters, he said he hoped it wouldn’t happen, but it probably would.  A day of watching, and waiting, a day of anxiety and trepidation, for most of the everyday folk, like you and me.  A day of pushback to that message from members of both parties and from leaders of nations around the world.  And a day of fervent and frantic behind-the-scenes negotiations, with Pakistan emerging as the country that appeared to be able to take messages between the US and Iran.  Who knew Pakistan would be the mediator….  And, reminiscent of some other threats, earning the sobriquet of TACO, President Trump announced  with 90 minutes remaining before his imposed deadline, Iran had agreed to a deal…or at least, had put forth a 10-point negotiation proposal, that would buy two weeks of a cease fire.  

And in space, Orion was heading home, returning from its journey of more than a quarter of a million miles, and sending stunning photographs seemingly every hour of planet Earth, which clearly has no national boundaries.  Commander Wiseman said it well, “What we really hoped in our soul is that we could, for just a moment, have the world pause and remember that this is a beautiful planet in a very special place in our universe, and we should all cherish what we have, what we have been gifted.”

For the next three days, the messiness of trying to negotiate an end to a war, with Pakistan again playing the mediator among Iran, Israel, and the US, dominated the headlines.  There was a cease fire, until there wasn’t.  The Strait of Hormuz was open, but not really.  Israel’s bombing of Lebanon was covered by the cease fire, or it wasn’t…depended on who was asked.  (Regardless, Israel continued to bomb Lebanon.) Ships were passing through the Strait, or they weren’t….or they were, but they were being charged a $2million toll, with proceeds going to Iran.  The President described this as a reset, noting that the US armed forces are using this time to re-stock, re-supply, and re-arm for continued warfare if needed, “stronger than ever before.”  

And Orion continued on its way home.  The astronauts conducted a variety of tests, gathered data, stayed in shape in a no-gravity environment, and conveyed the sense of wonder and awe that comes from a perspective only a handful of people have ever experienced.  Christina Koch, flight engineer, wrote about all that was yet before us as humans in understanding the universe in which we live.  “We will explore, we will build ships, we will visit again.  We will construct science outposts, we will drive rovers, we will do radio astronomy, we will found companies, we will bolster industry, we will inspire, but – ultimately – we will always choose Earth.  We will always choose each other.”

On Friday, VP Vance headed off to Islamabad to lead the US negotiations team.  When asked what his plan was if negotiations failed, President Trump said he didn’t have one, he’d have to wait and see.  And noted that he didn’t much care, because Iran’s military had been destroyed, and the US military was stronger.  Hardly a position of strength for the US team, if the boss doesn’t much care if you’re successful or not….

In space, the astronauts made final steps for re-entry to Earth, readying Integrity for separation and exposure of the heat shield, in preparation for the 5000 degree temperatures the descent would produce.  They had their last meal of space food, they checked off dozens of check points, and they continued to broadcast.  I think of the feeling on the last day of a long and adventuresome vacation…fulfilled beyond words at the adventure itself, excited to be home, and aware that in some way, life is forever changed.  I suspect that was true for them, a hundred times over.  And at 7:07 pm CDT, they splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, just off the coast of San Diego, with a whole world watching as the parachutes deployed against that bright blue sky and the water splashed over the capsule.  A perfect landing, as planned, and executed.  

Today, cease fire negotiations have come to an end for the day, with VP Vance saying the US has given Iran its final and best offer.  Doesn’t sound to me like there’s a negotiated settlement there.  

The astronauts are in Houston, undergoing all the assessments of those who return to Earth from space.  In their comments today, they talked about the joy of being a crew, the purpose, the sacrifice, the grace, the accountability that they shared.  

And so, the week comes to an end.  The Artemis II mission is complete, a success by any and every measure.  The Middle East is still embroiled in war and turmoil, and nothing about it gives any indication of that changing any time soon.  

I recognize that planning and executing a scientific mission, even one as complex as a lunar flyby, is not as challenging as resolving human tensions that include clashes of culture, history, power, land, and nuclear capabilities.  The laws of physics can be known….and relentless, persistent, creative applications of physics to engineering, aerodynamics, astronomy, and all related fields can reveal solutions that are likely to work.  Testing, revising, re-testing…honoring and respecting expertise and talent with discipline and focus, taking the time and investing the resources to do it right, and results happen.  

The laws of human behavior are not as well known or understood, nor agreed upon.  But even those that are, and those that have been agreed to for the past eighty years, seem especially stretched right now.  The best of the scientific expertise was brought to the table as Artemis II was dreamed, designed, and built.  I wish I had confidence that the best of international diplomacy was at the table in Pakistan right now.  I do not….

I keep returning to Christina Koch’s words, “We will always choose each other.”  That is aspirational language…I so hope it is true.  And today she said, as she talked about the astronaut crew, “I know I haven’t learned everything that this journey has yet to teach me.  Bu there’s one new thing I know, and that is planet Earth:  You are a crew.”  That is a challenge….I so hope we live into it. 

The week that was….a huge scientific accomplishment, filled with points of pride and a lift for the human spirit.  And a festering war, perhaps at a tipping point…leading to the next week.   

“Trust us, you look amazing, you look beautiful.  You also look like one thing.  Homo sapiens is all of us, no matter where you’re from or what you look like.  We’re all one people.”  Victor Glover, Orion pilot