The Artemis II astronauts have wrapped up their lunar flyby and are now heading back to Earth, bringing with them rich celestial observations including little-known lunar craters, a solar eclipse, and meteor strikes that scientists hope will open doors.
Their eyes glued to the spacecraft windows for nearly seven hours, the team of fourwho spent their day breaking records and making historywere treated to a view of the Moon unlike any other.
“Humans probably have not evolved to see what we’re seeing,” said Victor Glover. “It is truly hard to describe. It is amazing.”
The Observations
The crew reported in vivid detail features of the lunar surface and later witnessed a solar eclipse , when the Moon passed in front of the Sun. They also described flashes of lightmeteor strikes on the Moon’s surface.
“I can’t say enough how much science we’ve already learned,” Kelsey Young , lead scientist for the Artemis II mission, told the astronauts.
“You really brought the Moon closer for us today, and we cannot say thank you enough.”
Trump’s Call
Even after becoming the furthest humans ever to travel from Earth, the bleary-eyed astronauts remained in good spirits as they took a late-night call from President Donald Trump.
“You’ve really inspired the entire world,” Trump said, calling them “modern-day pioneers” who have “a lot of courage doing what you’re doing.”
“America will be second to none in space and everything we’re doing, and we will continue to lead the whole thing into the stars.”
Historic Milestones
The journey wrapped up late Monday and had plenty of milestones:
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The Artemis II team broke the distance record set by the 1970 Apollo 13 mission, surpassing it by more than 4,000 miles (6,000 kilometers) when they reached the journey’s furthest distance from Earth: 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers) .
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The crew lost contact with Earth for about 40 minutes as their spacecraft passed behind the Moonthe first people in more than 50 years to lose contact with the rest of humanity.
“It is so great to hear from Earth again,” said astronaut Christina Koch , as the crew regained connection. “We will always choose Earth.”
Moon Memorials
Just after breaking the distance record, the crew proposed designating two previously unnamed craters:
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“Integrity” in honor of their spacecraft’s nickname
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“Carroll” for the late wife of mission commander Reid Wiseman, who died of cancer
“It’s a bright spot on the Moon,” said Jeremy Hansen , his voice breaking with emotion. “And we would like to call it Carroll.”
The astronauts embraced, and mission control in Houston held a moment of silence.
NASA said they would formally submit the name proposals to the International Astronomical Union.
The Journey Home
The Orion capsule will now travel back to Earth in a “free-return trajectory,” a trip that will take about four days.
The Firsts
Adding to the historic nature of the mission led by Reid Wiseman , the Artemis II crew includes several firsts:
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Victor Glover: First person of color to fly around the Moon
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Christina Koch: First woman to fly around the Moon
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Jeremy Hansen: First non-American to fly around the Moon
The Bottom Line
They broke records. They saw meteor strikes. They witnessed a solar eclipse. They named craters for integrity and love.
Now, they’re coming home.
“We will always choose Earth.”
