The Artemis II mission is well under way with a schedule splash down on April 10th. This is the first moon expedition since 1972 and will travel further into deep space than ever traveled before as it does a flyby around the far side of the moon. The mission is a real plus to NASA’s space exploration mission. The various phases of Artemis will hopefully prepare NASA for the establishment of a moon space station and set the groundwork for potential space travel to Mars.
The month of April is full of days dedicated to science. These days include:
Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month 2026
Global Astronomy Month (April)
World Quantum Day (April 14)
AI Week (April 13-17)
DNA Day (April 25)
The Artemis mission touches on all these sciences and uses them to fulfill its mission.
World Quantum Day on April 14th celebrates the astounding discoveries related to quantum physics. These discoveries help to humble us a we realize how complex the world is and how we are still just scratching the surface to understanding our reality. The quantum observations include
Wave-Particle Duality: The principle that all matter and light exhibit both wave-like (interference, diffraction) and particle-like (discrete collisions) properties.
Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: A fundamental limit stating that it is impossible to simultaneously measure certain pairs of properties, such as position and momentum, with absolute precision.
Quantum Superposition: The phenomenon where a quantum system exists in multiple states simultaneously until it is measured, at which point it “collapses” into a single state.
Quantum Entanglement: A state where two or more particles become linked so that the state of one instantly influences the other, regardless of the distance separating them.
Artemis uses the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System (O2O) which uses laser beams—a photon-based, quantum technology—to transmit high-resolution video and images. NASA is researching systems that use entangled photon pairs to transmit more information per photon than classical methods. Future missions may use atom interferometers—tools that harness the wave-like nature of atoms—to conduct ultra-precise gravity measurements. This technology can detect subtle variations in the lunar gravitational field to map the Moon’s interior or locate underground resources like water ice.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Week April 13-17, 2026. Because GPS is unavailable in deep space, Orion uses AI-driven Optical Navigation. High-resolution cameras capture images of the Moon and Earth against star maps, which Artificial Intelligence processes in real time to determine position and velocity without ground control. The SHERPA system (System Health Enabled Real-time Planning Advisor) is an AI system that helps the VIPER rover plan safe routes across the Moon’s South Pole by running thousands of mission simulations to predict risks.
DNA Day (April 25). The AVATAR investigation on Artemis II uses small chips containing live bone marrow cells derived from the mission’s four astronauts. These “miniature avatars” travel with the crew to experience the same deep-space conditions. Upon return, scientists use single-cell RNA sequencing to measure exactly how thousands of genes changed in response to the environment. For NASA, this research could provide critical information about how each astronaut responds to the unique conditions of space and inform the development of countermeasures and personalized medical kits for future missions. For other government agencies and health organizations, AVATAR could contribute to advances in safer and faster drug testing, and personalized medicine on Earth.
Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month. The Artemis mission relies on a sophisticated blend of mathematics and statistics. The mission uses the restricted three-body problem, a mathematical model that describes the motion of the spacecraft under the simultaneous gravitational influence of the Earth and the Moon. The mathematics include a Free-Return Trajectory: Designing a path that uses lunar gravity to “slingshot” the spacecraft back to Earth automatically if propulsion fails. The concept dates back to the Apollo missions and helped save the lives of the astronauts onboard Apollo 13 in 1970 after an oxygen tank exploded, disabling its electrical and life-support system. Scientists use statistical tables to correlate the number of craters in a specific area with the region’s age. Statistical models estimate the probability of catastrophic failure; for Artemis I, this was calculated at 1-in-125.
Bible Quotes
The beauty, truth and goodness of God’s creation is highlighted in this historical lunar mission and its related technologies. Here are some bible quotes that highlight this.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the works of his hands” – Psalm 19:2
For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. – Corinthians 1:16-17
For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’ ’ – Acts 17:28
By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible. – Hebrews 11:3
God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. – Gen 1:28
You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works!
– Psalm 139: 13-14
But you have disposed all things by measure and number and weight. – Wisdom 11:20
Who has measured with his palm the waters, marked off the heavens with a span, held in his fingers the dust of the earth, weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? – Isaiah 40:12
When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars that you set in place— What is man that you are mindful of him, and a son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him little less than a god, crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him rule over the works of your hands, put all things at his feet… – Psalms 8:4-7
See, I have singled out Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with a divine spirit of skill and understanding and knowledge in every craft: in the production of embroidery, in making things of gold, silver, or bronze, in cutting and mounting precious stones, in carving wood, and in every other craft. – Exodus 31:2-5
For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse; for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. While claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes. – Romans 1:19-23
A Scientist’s Faith Journey
I recently read an interview given by Dr. Michael Guillen, a Harvard physicist, former ABC News science editor, bestselling author, and once-devout atheist. In it he shares his unexpected journey from scientific certainty to Christian faith. With three PhDs in physics, mathematics, and astronomy from Cornell, Dr. Guillen lived and breathed science, dismissing religion as irrelevant and unscientific.
The full interview is well worth a read and is available here – C.S. Lewis Institute.org Interview. It was interesting to see his transition as he and a friend started reading the Bible starting at Genesis. I will provide here some excerpts.
“What struck me right off the bat, right off the bat in Genesis was how different the Bible recounted the story of creation…The way the Bible describes it was. Is very scientific and it’s very reportorial,”
“…One of the big criticisms people have of God is while you’re praying to an invisible man in the sky, and I’m thinking, ‘well, I’m studying a universe that’s % invisible to me. ”
“… Jesus, speaking in the Bible, that I’m thinking, who talks like the first shall be last. Love your enemies like you love your friends. I’m like, this is backwards. Who talks like that? ….I’m learning what we call duality in physics and quantum mechanics and saying, well, hard like a rock and soft like a wave. It can be both at the same time thinking, what? Oh, so the language of quantum mechanics is as upside down as the language of Jesus. ”
“…Every time I read the Bible, it just gets deeper and deeper. My understanding of it gets deeper and it’s more eye opening every single time. And it’s exciting for me.”
“I’ve discovered the truths in the Bible stand the test of time and they stand the scrutiny of modern science. “
“So, the short answer is that if you want to understand where I’m coming from, then crack open the Bible. … If you want to own your worldview, you got to work for it, you got to do the homework, period. There’s no shortcut.”
C. S. Lewis Institute
That interview inspired me to return to my earlier attempt to read the whole Bible. The Bible is the best selling book of all time. More than any other book it has shaped the world and infuenced countless people. It is the Word of God. I have downloaded the Ascension Press Bible in a Year reading plan and it is available here – Bible In A Year Plan. You can check off as you complete a day and keep track.
Artemis 2 has will be on mission during Easter and Apollo 8 was on mission during Christmas. Both are historic, crewed NASA missions designed to fly around the Moon and return to Earth without landing, serving as crucial precursor flights to test spacecraft safety and trajectories before subsequent lunar landing missions. Both missions involve a multi-day journey with three-man or four-person crews traveling farther than any human has for decades.