What the Artemis II crew shared in first remarks after return to Earth
It was a heroes’ welcome for Artemis II’s four-person crew after a manual water landing in the Pacific Ocean Friday evening.
The astronauts arrived Saturday at Ellington Field at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to cheers, a standing ovation and hugs from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. The crewmates reunited with their families at the site for the first time since the end of their historic 10-day journey around the Moon.
Isaacman called the mission “the greatest adventure in human history.”
(Left to right) Artemis II astronauts Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman are seen on stage Saturday at Ellington Field at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. -Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images
The crew of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, NASA’s Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen completed a record-breaking lunar flyby. The astronauts traveled deeper into space than any human had ventured before. The Artemis II mission was a test flight serving as an experiment to set the stage for future missions. But the moment of being reunited with their loved ones was one of the most anticipated stops of the crew’s journey.
“Victor, Christina and Jeremy, we are, we are linked forever, and no one here will ever know what the four of us just went through,” Wiseman said. “And it was the most special thing that could have happened in my life.”
There’s no place like planet Earth
Wiseman acknowledged that no one will truly know what the crew’s families went through.
“It wasn’t easy being over 200,000 miles from home,” Wiseman said. “Before you go, it’s like it’s the greatest dream on Earth, and when you’re there, you just want to be reunited with your family and friends. It’s a special thing to be a human and it’s a special thing to be on planet Earth.” Wiseman was visibly choked up and all four crew members stood up to embrace on stage.
(Left to right) NASA’s Reid Wiseman and CSA’s Jeremy Hansen talk with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman on the flight deck of the USS John P. Murtha after splashdown Friday in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. -Bill Ingalls/NASA
Glover admitted he hadn’t yet fully processed the entire mission and “what we just did,” but he was full of gratitude.
“When this started, I wanted to thank God in public, and I want to thank God again, because even bigger than my challenge of trying to describe what we went through, the gratitude of seeing what we saw, doing what we did and being with who I was, it’s too big to just be in one body,” Glover said.
“And I wanted to thank our families for everything,” he added. “I love you, but not just those five beautiful cocoa-skinned ladies right there,” Glover said, waving to his family. “All of you.”
NASA’s Victor Glover (second from left) and Christina Koch sit on a Navy MH-60 Seahawk on the flight deck of the USS John P. Murtha after splashdown Friday. -Bill Ingalls/NASA
“You are a crew”
Koch shared that her nurse on the Navy recovery ship asked her for a hug last night, one of many great “human moments” that began and ended the mission, she said. Artemis II truly taught him the meaning of being part of a crew, Koch said.
“A crew is a group that is there all the time, no matter what, who works together every minute toward the same goal, who is willing to silently sacrifice for each other, who gives grace, who holds accountable,” Koch said. “A crew has the same concerns and needs, and a crew is inevitably beautifully and conscientiously bonded.”
(Clockwise from left) Artemis II’s Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover share a group hug inside the Orion capsule on April 7. -NASA
She said one of her strongest revelations came while watching the Earth appear tiny through Orion’s window, and all the darkness around it.
“I know I haven’t learned everything this trip has taught me yet,” Koch said. “But there is one new thing I know, and that is planet Earth: you are a crew.”
Shared humanity and family ties
Hansen also noted that the human experience was extraordinary for him and his teammates – and seemed delighted to learn that it was the same for everyone on Earth who followed the mission.
“We have a term in our crew that we coined a long time ago, the ‘joy train,'” Hansen said. “And it looks like you saw a lot of joy up there. There was a lot of joy. We’re not always on the joy train, this team, a lot of times we’re not on the joy train, but we’re committed to getting back on the joy train as soon as possible. And that’s a useful life skill for any team that’s trying to get something going.”
Hansen asked his teammates to stand with him as he talked about love.
(Left to right) Members of the International Space Station and Artemis II crews are seen on screens inside the ISS Flight Control Room in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The two crews connected during a 15-minute ship-to-ship stopover on April 7. -NASA
“What you saw was a group of people who loved to contribute, make a meaningful contribution and get joy out of it,” Hansen said. “And what we heard was that this was something special that you could witness. I suggest to you that when you look here, you don’t look at us. We are a mirror reflecting you, and if you like what you see, then just look a little deeper. It’s you.”
During the trip, the astronauts were able to speak with their spouses and children via brief remote calls. Wiseman, the mission commander, said the experience of listening to his teammates’ conversations as they were crowded aboard the 16.5-foot-wide (5-meter-wide) Orion spacecraft was a remarkable bonding experience.
“Hearing your teammates laugh and cry and just gasp and listen and love on their families from afar,” Wiseman said, was the “most enjoyable” bonding experience.
“Family is so important to all four of us, and this has been incredible,” Wiseman said in an April 8 dispatch from Orion.
Wiseman said he was moved to tears and could barely speak when he first connected with his daughters from space. He is a widower, and during the mission the crew proposed naming a lunar crater in honor of his late wife, Carroll.
Looking to the future
Wiseman’s final words Saturday were to the NASA astronauts gathered in the auditorium.
“It’s time to go and be ready,” Wiseman said, speaking about future space exploration. “Because it takes courage. It takes determination. And you’re all screwed, and we’re going to be here to support you every step of the way, in any way we can.”
Isaacman said the Artemis II mission will be remembered because it was the moment when the crew and people around the world saw the moon again and “when childhood dreams became missions.” And this paves the way for future missions like Artemis III, which is scheduled to launch in 2027. The administrator noted that the assembly of the Artemis III vehicle and the announcement of the crew for this mission will take place soon.
“The next crew will begin preparing to play their role as we return to the lunar surface, build the base, and never abandon the Moon again,” Isaacman said.
Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, said the “lunar cheer” spread by the crew will enable and inspire a new generation to believe their dreams are possible.
“This will lead countless students to become the next scientists, engineers, inventors, mathematicians and astronauts who dare to forge new frontiers in space and push the boundaries of what is possible for the benefit of all,” Wyche said. “We often say that we stand on the shoulders of giants, and after seeing them return from this mission, I have to say that their shoulders now seem even broader for the next generation to stand on. »
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