By Danny Minton

On May 15, 1963, Gordon Cooper sat in the Faith 7 capsule atop Atlas 9, which would end up being the last flight of the Project Mercury Space Program. It would be the first flight to last more than a day, planned for twenty-two orbits around the Earth. Unknown to Cooper or NASA Control, an event would begin in the 19^th orbit, requiring him to manually control the re-entry procedure. 

Earlier, during the 17^th orbit, as Faith 7 passed over the Indian Ocean, Gordon Cooper turned on his tape recorder and offered a prayer to God.

“Father, thank you, especially for letting me fly this flight. Thank you for the privilege of being able to be in this position; to be up in this wonderous place, seeing all these many startling, wonderful things that you have created.

Help guide and direct all of us that we may shape our lives to be much better, trying to help one another and to work with one another. Help us to complete this mission successfully. Help us in our future space endeavors that we may show the world that a democracy really can compete, and that its people are able to do research, development, and can conduct many scientific and technical programs.

Be with our families. Give them guidance and encouragement and let them know everything will be OK.

We ask in Thy name, Amen”
(Leap of Faith, pg. 68)

At ten years old, Gordon had joined St. Paul’s Methodist Church in Shawnee, Oklahoma. His grandfather, a Church of Christ minister, inspired him to read the Bible, which he said helped him see science as a door to open the wonders of God. In an earlier orbit, Russian cosmonaut Major Andrean G. Nikolayev, after his flight in Vostok III, said that he “didn’t see God up there.” When asked about it, Cooper responded that if he had not known God on Earth, he wasn’t going to find him a hundred and fifty miles up. (pg. 70)

One of the things that we should always remember is that no matter where we are or what we are doing, God is always there with us. We can’t see Him, but He is there. One of my favorite stories is when Elijah is frustrated with people not accepting what he has to tell them and feels like he is all alone with people trying to kill him. While hiding in a cave, God comes to him and asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” When he tells God his situation, God has him stand outside the cave, and He will come to him. “The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13 (NIV2011)

 Many of us may be like Elijah, looking for God in ways we think are evident. God teaches Elijah that He is also present in quiet ways, and all we need to do is listen for Him. David felt the same frustration as Elijah, but in his 23^rd Psalm, he expressed how He is present in our lives no matter where we are or what we are doing. In Psalm 139, he acknowledges that no matter where he finds himself, God is already there. God told Jeremiah, “And you will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13.

When we find ourselves in situations of stress, struggles, and challenging places in life, we need to stop and realize we are not going through it alone. You cannot find any place, whether it be the most remote, darkest place on Earth or the silence of space, where God will not be there first, waiting for us to acknowledge His presence. If you don’t see or hear Him, you’re not looking close enough. You can’t physically see or hear Him, but if you know He’s there and let Him into your thoughts and heart, He promises to help you through any situation.

As Gordon Cooper entered the 19th orbit, the electrical system of the Faith 7 capsule started to fail due to moisture, causing a short in the control panel. As the panel lost power, it became evident that he would be the first astronaut required to manually control the attitude (roll, pitch, and yaw), keeping the angle of re-entry corrected to keep the heat shield in position. Due to the loss of electrical power, the temperature in the cabin had risen to 130 degrees, and his suit was able to cool to only 110 degrees. He was able to land so near the recovery ship that by the time the capsule landed and stabilized, helicopters were already there, ready to pick him up. 

“I would be the last American to fly in space alone. But had I really been Alone?” (Gordon Cooper, Leap of Faith, pg. 73.

Danny Minton is a former Elder and minister at Southern Hills Church of Christ