Mike Massimino is a (retired) astronaut who flew on two missions that serviced the Hubble space telescope (‘02, ‘09). While on these missions he did four space walks and became the first person to tweet from space. He might be best known for his appearance on half a dozen episodes of The Big Bang Theory. He has also co-written a couple of books detailing his NASA experiences, Spaceman and Moonshot.
In Moonshot he talks about his role as part of the CAPCOM (capsule/spacecraft communicator) team. The CAPCOM person sits next to the flight director in mission control and communicates with the astronauts. It makes sense to have someone who has experience in space travel fill this role. Not only do they have the technical background but just as important—they have a personal appreciation for the CAPCOM’s role since they’ve also been on the other end in the spacecraft.
Massimino discusses his CAPCOM work in the days following the Columbia tragedy in 2003. While the seven astronauts on board died in the explosion, there were three astronauts (two Americans and a Russian) on the International Space Station who had lost what was supposed to be their ride back to Earth. They were concerned; they had families and friends who were concerned—it was a difficult time for everyone. Massimino (who as CAPCOM was responsible for the two American astronauts) notes:
They had a really big problem when at a time when NASA was drowning in hundreds of other problems . . . We had to figure out how to get them home, reassure them that we would get them home, and be on call to support them every minute until we got them home.
In addition to all the on-site things that entailed, Massimino frequently checked on the family of one of the astronauts—even taking them out into a field one night so they could see the ISS as it passed over the earth. One Saturday afternoon while he was at mission control, he scheduled a simple repair for the two astronauts to do since he knew both liked to do home repair and tinker in their garages on the weekend. Massimino said, “It was just something to make life seem normal and take their minds off the isolation and worry they had to have been feeling.”
And it worked.
When they later returned to earth (via the Russian Soyuz spacecraft), they told Massimino his support “made them feel like the ground had their act together, that we were thinking about them and supporting them. It gave them confidence and kept them from feeling isolated at a most difficult time.”
People don’t need to be in a spacecraft high above the earth to need a CAPCOM. Everyone needs support and encouragement. But we also need to be like Massimino and give it as well. After all, if there’s blessing in receiving (and there certainly is), there’s even more in giving (Acts 20:35).
A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25)
Who needs your generosity?
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 