Retired astronaut, Col. Mike Hopkins, has been to space twice, serving on missions aboard the International Space Station. Yet, for a man who has made long journeys, these were not the journeys that changed his life – and continue to change him. It is his journey into the Catholic faith which has taken him farther than space and brought him closer to God.
“Going to space helped me realize how much God loves us, helped me feel the presence of God,” Hopkins told the community at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School (OLMC), Newport News.
If anyone was “spacing out” during Hopkins’ presentation in the school gym Jan. 30, perhaps it was in a good way. Young and old alike were enthralled by every word, photo, and video shared by the astronaut as he recounted his adventures in orbit.
Hopkins’ visit was a highlight of OLMC’s Catholic Schools Week celebrations and Nazareth Night. Dominican Sister Anna Joseph, principal at OLMC, explained they hold Nazareth Nights for the community, to encourage parents to raise their children in the faith.
On this Nazareth Night, many students sat on the gym floor, looking up wide-eyed at the spaceman in the blue flight suit. Hopkins started with a story about a spacewalk he conducted in December 2013.
The mission required working on a long robotic arm, suspended in space – and the robotic arm shook violently during the spacewalk. He thought for one moment that he had somehow come loose and felt like he was floating away into outer space.
Hopkins said astronauts rely on their training to get through terrifying moments like that one. He also knew he could count on his faith to calm and comfort him.
“I had a true human experience in space, grounded by faith,” he said.
Even when he was as far from home as any human can be – he explained that there is no distance too far for God and we can always feel close to Our Lord.
Then, Hopkins moved to a topic with a little less gravity, describing day-to-day life aboard the space station. His first mission was from September 2013 to March 2014, and then he was commander of a mission from November 2020 to May 2021.
After the presentation came a barrage of questions. The children – and adults – could not contain their curiosity, raising their hands as questions popped into their heads.
“How did you sleep in space?”
“What if you needed surgery?”
“What is the best astronaut food?”
“Did you see any aliens?”
Hopkins answered as many questions as he could before time ran out. After the conclusion of the event, he stood for another hour, signing posters, posing for pictures, and talking to the families.
‘I finally listened’
Hopkins grew up in a Christian family, but religion was not a big part of his upbringing. He credits his conversion to his wife, Julie, though he says he was stubborn for many years and refused to follow the signs that God put in front of him.
He met Julie in college in 1989 – Julie was born and raised Catholic, and he started going to Mass with her. They eventually were married in the Church, had two sons, and committed to raising them in the faith.
Hopkins said, “When we got married, I always said to Julie, ‘I don’t want to convert.’”
And Julie never pushed him. “It wasn’t my decision. It was Mike’s decision, it was really his journey … and it was important that he got there on his own,” she said.
In 2009, he was selected as an astronaut. Then, he found out he would be the first one from his class to go to space. Everything was going great with his marriage, family, home, and career. He should have been on top of the world.
“You would think, with everything that was going on, that I would be fulfilled – but something was missing,” Hopkins said. “I don’t remember the exact moment it happened, but I finally realized a stronger relationship with God was what I needed to fill this void.”
“He was calling me – at what I realize now was a very vulnerable time in my life,” Hopkins recalled.
“I was getting ready to go to space, live onboard the International Space Station for six months, and return to Earth in this little capsule that was meant to burn up as it comes into the atmosphere,” he continued. “Seventeen astronauts had previously died in the pursuit of space exploration like I was getting ready to go do, and so, spiritually, God knew I wasn’t ready.”
“And so, I prayed, and I finally listened,” Hopkins said. “God pointed to the door that had been right in front of me since I met Julie. I don’t know how many times I walked through the doors of the Catholic Church – physically walked through it – and yet now I realized I had never really entered.”
At that time, Hopkins was traveling to Russia regularly for weeks at a time to train for his space mission. He was not able to attend classes to become Catholic, but says Father Skip Negley, his pastor at Mary Queen Catholic Church in Friendswood, Texas, met one-on-one with him whenever he was home. Hopkins calls Father Skip the second most inspirational person in his faith journey, after Julie.
He received his first Holy Communion in December 2012. “I will tell you, at that moment, my life changed forever, and that’s why I’m standing in front of you all today.”
After that, he realized he would not be whole if he could not receive the Eucharist while he was in space. He received permission from his bishop to bring the Blessed Sacrament with him when he launched the following year.
“Whether it’s down on Earth or up in space, I get that moment of peace [after receiving Communion],” Hopkins said. He received the Eucharist right before stepping out of the hatch into the vacuum of space for a spacewalk, as well as before returning home.
“I had Jesus in my pocket, right next to my heart, in a pyx,” he explained. “No matter what, Jesus is with me.”
From mission to ministry
In space, Hopkins said looking down at Earth gave him a new perspective on God’s greatness.
“I can feel God’s power, I can feel his passion, I can feel his love and joy. And I am in awe,” he said. “God created us to live on Earth. … And I hope that makes you understand, makes you feel how special we are, because God must love us to have put us here.”
“I don’t think I went to space just to achieve my dreams of being an astronaut, or to further humanity’s goal of exploring the stars,” Hopkins said, “but I feel that I also went to space to further God’s will.”
He believes it is God’s plan for him to share that God’s love for us is bigger than the universe. He and his wife started a nonprofit called Astronauts in Your Space (AIYS) last April. His goal is to speak to religious groups, children’s hospitals, and others, igniting a passion for STEM education and showing that God and science go hand-in-hand.
Hopkins’ visit to OLMC was his second speaking engagement for AIYS. The nonprofit’s board is gathering more financial support and hopes other astronauts will join this new mission.
“If I can bring one person closer to God, we win,” Hopkins said.
Editor’s note: Learn more about Astronauts in Your Space, including how to donate or to book a visit with Col. Hopkins.
Over the moon for each other
The story of Col. Mike Hopkins is not complete without his wife, Julie. While most of the world is focused on his life as an astronaut, his focus is on his “crew” on Earth – his family.
Julie’s eyes twinkle like stars when she talks about her husband. “’What is it like being married to an astronaut?’ For the most part, it’s normal,” she laughs. “I knew him before he was an astronaut, so he’s just Mike.”
Their 31st wedding anniversary is this July, and Julie said Mike is a husband and father first. He is also a U.S. Air Force veteran, so her life as a military spouse prepared her somewhat for the stress of life as an astronaut’s wife.
“It’s so important to say thank you to your spouse,” she told her oldest son, who is now a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot. “I think when you don’t have that, as a spouse, and you’re running the house and you don’t feel like you’re appreciated, it’s tough.”
The couple said NASA is good about helping families stay connected. While in space, astronauts get a weekly video call with their loved ones. During Mike’s first mission, his sons were in seventh and ninth grades. Mike said he cherished being able to watch some of their hockey games live from space and felt like he was still part of their lives.
Cell phone communication is also excellent in space, he said. Julie recounted the first time she received a call from Mike in space while she was grocery shopping.
“There’s a part people don’t realize. People think about how hard it is to be an astronaut,” Mike said. “Being an astronaut is easy. Being a family member of an astronaut – now that’s hard.”
“Trying to balance it all, you do more than you think you can,” said Julie. “And you just do it.”
BONUS: Q&A session with Col. Mike Hopkins at Our Lady of Mount Carmel
“How did you sleep in space?”
Col. Hopkins: The crew quarters are the size of a broom closet or telephone booth. Astronauts sleep in a sleeping bag that is strapped to the wall! Sometimes their arms would hang out in the air. I liked to sleep with my arms crossed over my chest.
“Did you like the ice cream in space?”
Col. Hopkins: You’ve probably seen that freeze-dried ice cream at different places, but we didn’t have that in space. There isn’t much ice cream onboard the station, but supply vehicles would once in a while send up some ice cream cups or ice cream bars as a treat. Those didn’t last long!
“What if you needed surgery?”
Col. Hopkins: A couple things could happen. One, there are some astronauts who are medical doctors, and they are allowed to do more in space than regular medical doctors. If they can’t help you, they’ll bring you home. Also, they do try and give all astronauts some basic medical training. I’m an engineer, but I had to train in an emergency room!
“How do you clean the ceiling?”
Col. Hopkins: Well I’m floating in space , so all I gotta do is just just push off gently and I’ll float right up to the ceiling, grab on to something and start cleaning. There’s no up or down in space!
“What is the best astronaut food?”
Col. Hopkins: I actually like the tortilla! It sounds boring, but you can do so many things with a tortilla in space. I can put my dehydrated eggs on a tortilla with some Sriracha sauce and I have a breakfast burrito. I can also put beefsteak, which is like a hamburger, on a tortilla with some ketchup and a slice of lettuce that we’ve planted. You have to get creative with food in space because one of the things that we deal with is a fluid shift from feet to head, so you often feel like you have allergies [and you’re stuffed up] and that can affect your taste.
“Did you see any aliens in space?”
Col. Hopkins: If I did, I couldn’t tell you!
