NASA’s newest mission, ‘Artemis II’; a SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft orbited the moon for 10 days. The work-in-progress mission that aims to establish safe and assured further space exploration started in 2022 with a flight test that only flew the two main components: a 322-foot tall SLS rocket and 330-foot-wide Orion capsule. After the flight test, there were some safety modifications to the base of the rocket and overall heat management that NASA had to make sure that the flight
to the moon wouldn’t be fatal for humans. This mission wasn’t deemed as easy, as it was the first time humans have traveled to the moon in 50 years since the Apollo 17 missions. Many attempts have been made to advance space exploration, but most attempts ended with fatalities.
The Trip
For the Artemis II exploration, NASA chose four astronauts to send on this expedition: Reid Wiseman as command
er, Victor Glover as the pilot, Christina Koch as mission specialist, and CSA’s Jeremy Hansen as another mission specialist. This team has been seen as groundbreaking by the media as it has marked the first person of color, first woman astronaut, and first non-US citizen to travel to the moon successfully. On Monday, Apr 6, 2026, the team reached the moon during their lunar flyby around 7:02 p.m. In their near sight of the moon, they captured thousands of images of the lunar side of the moon and set the record for the farthest human distance away from Earth, traveling 252,756 miles.
The splashdown
The group were all smiles after this successful trip and were seen on stage at Ellington Field at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Tx. Here, many questions were asked about the trip with Wiseman stating, “Victor, Christina, and Jeremy, we are, we are bonded forever, and no one down here is ever going
to know what the four of us just went through.” Further adding, “And it was the most special thing that will ever happen in my life.” Wiseman goes on to start expressing his appreciation of the mission, saying “This was not easy being 200,000-plus miles away from home…. Like, before you launch it feels like it’s the greatest dream on Earth, and when you’re out there, you just want to get back to your families and friends. It’s a special thing to be a
human and it’s a special thing to be on planet Earth.” Continuing with the conversation of gratitude, Glover shows recognition for his family and the fans who watched and supported the team throughout their journey. “And I wanted to thank our families for everything… I love you, but not just those five beautiful cocoa-skinned ladies right there,” Glover says, referring to his family. “I love all of you.”.
Koch adds her experience and recognition of working with this group, she states, “A crew is a group that is in it all the time, no matter what, that is stroking together every minute with the same purpose, that is willing to sacrifice silently for each other, that gives grace, that holds accountable.” Adding on, “A crew that has the same cares and the same needs, and a crew is inescapably beautifully, dutifully linked.” Hansen also noted on the human experience during the expedition; “We have a term in our crew that we coined a long time ago, ‘the joy train’,” He starts. “And it sounds like you saw a lot of joy up there. There was a lot of joy. We’re not always on the joy train, this crew, there are many times we’re not on the joy train, but we are committed to getting back on the train as soon as we can. And that is a useful life skill for any team trying to get something done”.
“We have to be willing to accept a little more risk than we were willing to accept in the past,” Hansen said.
The NASA mission “Artemis II” was not only special for the exploration of the beyond away from Earth, but also a fundamental example of how a circumstance will bring four people together. The mission was successful in both ways and will be a foundation for more to come with NASA having plans of landing on the moon in the future.
