Artemis II Crew Return Home after Historic Mission

By: Rylee Lyons

Artemis II, named for the Greek goddess of the moon and wilderness, has completed a successful ten-day mission. This name is also a symbolic “sister” to NASA’s Apollo mission. This lunar flyby was historic for NASA and captured the interest and hearts of many of us here on Earth.

At the heart of this mission was the crew, consisting of Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. This was the first crewed mission to leave the Earth’s low orbit and enter lunar space in over 50 years, and the first crewed flight of the Orion spacecraft, for which the crew named Integrity. This mission validated the safety and technology of the Orion spacecraft as well as the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, providing assurance for future journeys.

While this mission was one of the biggest moments in space exploration, to many, it was also a reminder of the beauty of our humanity. This was the most diverse crew to serve on such a large exploration, including the first woman, first person of color, and first non-American to enter the lunar vicinity.

Amid the immense amount of scientific work to be done, there were also a few emotional moments on the journey for the crew, which they described in an Earth-to-space interview with the BBC. Wiseman said the “pinnacle moment” of the journey was the team naming a “bright spot” lunar crater after his late wife, Carroll. Glover said the “greatest gift” the journey gave was seeing the lunar eclipse from the far side of the moon. 

Besides an immense feeling of inspiration, one gift the Artemis II crew gave to people on land was new photos of the Earth. They captured the stunning “Earthset” photo, picturing a crescent figure of the Earth from lunar view, which mimics the photo taken of Earth from the 1968 Apollo 8 mission, titled “Earthrise.”

They also snapped more stunning photos of Earth, even some where the northern lights are visible, but the crew told the BBC that, while they have shared many photos and data from space, there are “so many more photos,” and they are bringing the “good stuff” back home with them.

This mission was inspiring to scientists, engineers, and space experts everywhere. From the sheer success of the journey to the smiles that continued to beam on the crews’ faces in the footage, many agree that this was a pinnacle marking a new era in space exploration. On this trip around the moon and back, the crew broke records for the farthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth. Despite the scientific history they made during their long-term lunar presence, when asked what they would miss most about space, Koch said, “I will miss this camaraderie…being this close with this many people and having a common purpose.”