Okay, so maybe the title is un petit peu overstated. I do not actually have travel tips for vacation to the moon or Mars, but I do have some tips and reflections from our recent visit to the Infinity Space Center.
First, some information for your own visit. Infinity is an interactive museum connected to NASA's largest rock propulsion test site, the John C. Stennis Space Center, located right around the Louisiana-Mississippi border. I'm not sure what I expected, but it's worth a visit just to behold the sheer magnitude of the Saturn V space shuttle rockets. My overwhelming question in pondering them: How?? How did anyone's brain ever think of doing this and then figure out how to build it?
The rockets and the other space-mission equipment on display truly induce awe. First, they induce awe at the magnificence of the human person. We are not merely creatures who try to survive and attain comfort; we are creatures who seek ultimate truth and meaning, and who embark upon incredible journeys to find it.
Second, they induce awe at the vastness and omnipotence and tenderness of God. We're sacramental by design; the visible reveals the invisible. Just seeing these physical objects that traveled into outer space opens your mind to questions about the universe and its origins. How big is it? Where does it go? What's at the end? How did it get there?
In the words of St John Paul II: "God has placed in the human heart the desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself—so that by knowing and loving God, men and women can come to the fullness of the truth about themselves."
Inside, the museum contains several interactive exhibits that explore the work of NASA scientists. You can see (and sometimes touch) amazing astronaut suits, moon rocks, and space-mission technology and equipment, like an Apollo 4 mission capsule where astronauts worked and slept (note how they designed every single thing to be tethered because of the zero gravity environment). There's a 3D immersive theater with various movies about space exploration.
And it's not all outer-space stuff—we also enjoyed the exhibits about hurricane research and carnivorous plants. For a few dollars, you can experience the hurricane-force wind chamber. There's also the Deep Ocean Explorer, a ride-ish feature that simulates diving 4,000 feet in a submersible (it's free to ride). Back outside, you can walk the Biome Boardwalk to see artifacts like clandestine watercraft used to insert and extract Navy SEALs and oceanic meteorological data buoys.
Space to contemplate
Whether you're visiting Infinity, a local planetarium, or just star-gazing with your telescope, space exploration cannot help but lead to gigantic questions about truth. As Catholics, we enjoy the gifts of both faith and reason to discover the fullness of truth. Science should not be seen as the opposite of faith, but rather as her sister. The absence of either one will diminish man's ability to fully know himself, the world, and God. Science tells us how things are; faith tells us what they mean.
We should never be afraid of a conflict between science and faith. We should expect tension when we seek the truth; we should anticipate that we will be chiseled against the rock of truth and it won’t always be comfortable. But our only other choice is denial: to live disconnected from reality. We should explore, seek, ask, and even challenge—because answers to our deepest questions exist, and ultimately lead us to truth that frees us.
“There are a dozen views about everything until you know the answer," C.S. Lewis writes in his compelling sci-fi novel That Hideous Strength. "Then there's never more than one."
Questions to ask and ponder in outer space:
Is it rational to believe in God?
What do we mean by the word “proof”? How do we “prove” anything exists?
In your own life, what “proves” God to you personally? Is there someone who makes God “believable” to you? Why or how?
Why do you think so many important scientists are also faithful Catholics?
How can having faith actually strengthen your reason?
What do you think God wants us to do when we have questions about our faith?
How can science help us know and love God?
How is the universe an analogy for love—always expanding?
What are some other ways God reveals Himself and His truth?
Some stellar (ha) entertainment for your next rocket trip:
C.S. Lewis' The Space Trilogy is a cosmic classic set among faraway planets and galaxies. Start with Out of the Silent Planet followed by Perelandra. My favorite of the trio is the conclusion, That Hideous Strength. You'll be surprised and delighted by the prophetic precision of Lewis' dark sci-fi fantasy that deep-dives into the dangers of technological advancement for civilization and humanity. These are deep but accessible novels that will stir your contemplation.
Creation: A Catholic's guide to God and the universe: Dr Christopher Baglow, one Catholic academia's leading scholars on faith and reason, writes not about space per se, but the whole universe. It explores Catholic doctrine of creation and some mind-blowing scientific realities with warmth and wit. So good.
According to the studio summary, the fim Interstellar "chronicles the adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage." But actually, this movie is an excellent, heart-piercing treatment of love as a tangible and efficacious force. (We use this movie often in upper-level theology and philosophy classes.) The cathedral-organ soundtrack is also *chef's kiss.*
Colin loves Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World podcast that frequently plumbs the mysteries of outer space, extraterrestrial life, and generally cool science-y stuff.
In keeping with my longstanding theory that there is a Switchfoot song for every possible situation, I give you "Stars."
Finally, here's the encyclical Fides et Ratio from which comes the gorgeous insight, "Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to contemplation of truth."
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