Trump calls Artemis II crew after historic far side of the moon flyby

The Artemis II literally went where no man, nor woman, had gone before during a historic voyage around the far side of the moon Monday, and the crew did so with pilot Victor Glover making a quick request for divine assistance.

“I would like to ask you: how did you feel when you had no communication? » asked President Donald Trump during a call hosted by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman from Mission Control in Houston to “Integrity,” the name chosen by the crew for the Orion capsule. “Zero communication all of a sudden: it was cut off because of your very particular location; how did you feel when you had no communication? A little different, perhaps.”

“Yes, Mr. President, it was,” Glover replied. “I said a little prayer, but then I had to keep driving.”

The prayer was quick, because when night fell the crew had to get to work during the 45-minute communications outage.

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The Moon is seen from a camera outside the Orion spacecraft after Artemis II astronauts passed the farthest distance ever traveled by humans from Earth on April 6, 2026. (NASA)

“I was actually recording scientific observations of the far side of the Moon,” Glover continued. “You know, that’s actually the time when we were furthest and closest to the Moon.

“So we were able to make some of our most detailed observations of the far side of the Moon up close. So we were busy here working really hard. And I have to say, it was actually pretty cool.”

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Before going to sleep on the day of Flight 5, the Artemis II crew took another photo of the Moon, as it approached through the window of the Orion spacecraft. (NASA)

Trump elaborated on his observations.

“Did you see a difference, a big difference between the far side of the moon and the near side of the moon?” » asked Trump. “Was there a difference in feel or a difference in look, what did you see?”

The lack of light “certainly” changed the perspective, said Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, noting that the far side was remarkably different from the near side, with far fewer dark plains visible from Earth.

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“The gravitational pull of the Earth has had a profound effect on the near side of the Moon, changing all those dark areas, those dark spots on the Moon that you see from Earth. It’s very different on the far side.

“Although you see some small patches of these deep pools and craters, it’s very absent on this side. So it’s really neat.”

Hansen also took a moment to thank Trump on behalf of Canada, a country that has at times had a rocky relationship with Trump.

This image from video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew, from left, Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch and pilot Victor Glover as they speak with NASA Mission Control during a video conference while en route to the Moon, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (NASA)

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“And while I have the microphone, sir, I just want to thank you on behalf of Canada: the space leadership that you talked about from the United States is truly extraordinary,” Hansen said. “I have said it many times before: a nation that leads like this, that creates and sets great goals for humanity, that leads other countries in its wake, is truly incredible.

“And I know it’s a very intentional decision, not necessary, an intentional decision to set an example and allow other countries like Canada to share our gifts and help you achieve these mutually beneficial goals, like establishing a presence on the Moon and eventually going to Mars.

“And Canadians are very proud to be part of this program.”

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Trump referenced Canadian hockey great Wayne Gretzky and said the country was proud of Hansen’s courage.

“They are so proud of you and you have a lot of courage,” Trump said. “I don’t know if they would want to do that. I’m not even sure the Great One would want to do that, to be honest with you. But you have a lot of courage to do what you do, a lot of courage and a lot of genius. But they are very, very proud of you.”

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President Donald Trump and Jared Isaacman’s separation. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images, Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Mission Specialist Christina Koch spoke about the possibility of returning to Earth after the blackout and the importance of American leadership in deep space exploration.

“One of the most memorable moments was coming back to the far side of the Moon and getting our first glimpse of planet Earth again, after being without communication for about 45 minutes,” said Koch, the first woman on the Moon, who already holds the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman (328 days) and participated in the first all-female spacewalk.

“It really reminds you how special we are and how important it is for our nation to work, lead, not follow in deep space exploration.”

Commander Reid Wiseman told Trump that the crew witnessed sights that were humanity’s first sights, including a solar corona during an eclipse and planets lined up beyond the moon.

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“We saw things that no human had ever seen before, not even at Apollo, and it was incredible for us,” Wiseman said. “And then, the surprise of the day, we just came out of an eclipse where the sun, the moon – the whole dark moon, about this big, right out the window that we were looking at – we could see the corona of the sun, and then we could see the planetary train line up and Mars.

“And we all said how excited we were to see this nation and this planet become a two-planet species.”