Astronaut Butch Wilmore on what God taught him while ‘Stuck in Space’

The recent success of the NASA space mission that took the Artemis II spacecraft on its first crewed flight beyond low Earth's orbit since 1972, has seemingly reinvigorated interest in exploring the outer limits of our galaxy.

With plans to have a man walk the surface of the moon once again in 2028, the thought of eventually reaching Mars and beyond seems likely to become fact rather than science fiction in the not-too-distant future.

Butch Wilmore, a former NASA astronaut, has spent his career pushing the limits of human spaceflight, logging hundreds of days in orbit and commanding missions aboard the International Space Station. Known for his steady leadership and deep faith, Wilmore has faced the extraordinary challenges of life beyond Earth with resilience and clarity.

“Space flight is hard,” says Wilmore. “Human space flight is certainly hard to do well and makes it look easy. And that's really what NASA has done over the decades. That is challenging ourselves, learning, pushing the envelope further and further out. And we make it look like it's simple, and it's not. It's just passionate people working together, putting their all into this, endeavoring to know everything and perform it well. That's the goal.”

In his new book, Stuck in Space,” Wilmore offers a gripping first-hand account of an unexpected and prolonged stay aboard the International Space Station — an experience that tested not only his technical skill, but also his endurance, perspective and sense of purpose. But most importantly, Wilmore recounts how his Christian faith provided stability when circumstances became uncertain.

“The Lord is sovereign,” shares Wilmore, who flew three space missions and spent 464 days in space during his NASA tenure. “He put us there according to His plan and His purposes for His glory, and ultimately our good, if we will believe. That's the true story. Were we stuck? There are definitions that we were, yes. But God put us there wherever we are. It's just not this situation. It's so many situations in life. And if you believe and you know Him, it draws you even closer to Him.” 

Through vivid storytelling, Wilmore brings readers inside the isolation, wonder and intensity of being truly cut off from Earth, revealing what it means to adapt when there doesn’t seem to be a way home.

This former mission commander joins us to talk about exactly what happened at the International Space Station that required him and his fellow astronauts to extend their planned stay from eight days to nearly a year. Listen as he shares whether he had doubts that he would ever return to Earth and the reminder that what feels unexpected is never unexpected to God. 

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