The crew of Artemis II took to the stage in Houston Saturday afternoon, greeted home by a crowd of space agency and government officials, as well as fellow astronauts.
“Welcome home, Artemis II,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman to a thunderous applause.
“I have absolutely no idea what to say,” commander Reid Wiseman said to a chuckling crowd. “24 hours ago, the earth was that big out the window, we were doing Mach 39, and now here we back in Ellington at home.”
He turned to his three crewmates, looking them each in the eye and calling them by name.
“We are bonded forever. And no one down here is ever going to know what the four of us just went through,” said Wiseman. “It was the most special thing that will ever happen in my life.
“No one knows what the families went through,” he said. “This was not easy. Being 200,000 plus miles away from home,” Wiseman said, voice full of emotion. “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 family and your friends.”
“I have not processed what we just did,” said pilot Victor Glover. “And I’m afraid to start even trying.”
Glover stated he wanted to thank God, saying words failed to describe the experience they had and the gratitude he felt.
Mission Specialist Christina Koch reflected on purely human moments — on how 10-days ago she was awakened on launch day by the mission manager for a journey which ended last night during medical checkout on the recovery ship surrounded by people in awe. As she was headed to bed, a nurse asked her for a hug.
Koch reflected deeply on just what makes a crew.
“A crew is a group who 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,” Koch said as she looked around and smiled at her crewmates. “A crew has the same cares and the same needs. A crew is inescapable, beautifully, dutifully, linked.”
“What struck me wasn’t necessarily just Earth. It was all the blackness around it,” said Koch. “Earth was just this lifeboat hanging undisturbingly in the universe.”
Koch said she cannot yet grasp what this journey will teach her in time, but she knows one thing from her experience.
“Planet Earth, you are a crew,” said Koch.
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen expressed gratitude for his family, for NASA, and all who made this possible. He was the first Canadian to fly beyond Earth orbit.
He mentioned a term the crew uses – joytrain.
“There was a lot of joy,” said Hansen.
“There are many times we’re not on the joytrian, but we are committed to getting back on the joytrain as soon as we can,” said Hansen. “That is a useful life skill for any team trying to get something done.”
‘The long wait is over’
Isaacman began by thanking the president and partners in Congress for giving NASA the mandate and means to make Artemis II, as well as the upcoming Artemis missions, possible. He also acknowledged the international partners and American taxpayers.
“There is no doubt there is a price to pay when it comes to exploring the cosmos,” said Isaacman. “But there is also a return. A return in the jobs it creates, the technologies that improve life here on Earth, and the inspiration it sparks, and all those who choose to follow.”
“To people all around the world who look up and dream about what is possible, the long wait is over,” said Isaacman.
“After a brief 53 year intermission, the show goes on, and NASA is back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon and bringing them home safely,” said Isaacman.
During the flight, Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen broke a human spaceflight distance record, performed science and lunar observations, and wowed the world with stunning images and heartfelt moments.
As the Artemis II crew came on stage, Wiseman was carrying Rise, the zero-g indicator. As he tried to prop Rise up, it plopped over, to which Wiseman laughed and blamed it on space motion sickness.
Having traveled 250,000 miles from Earth and around the moon, the four were the first astronauts to fly on the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft – a mission which returned astronauts beyond low Earth orbit for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
Isaacman mentioned that while Wiseman had previously stated he hoped the mission would be forgotten as Artemis III and beyond took place, he said Artemis II will always be remembered in history.
“It was the moment we all saw the moon again,” said Isaacman, looking at Wiseman.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Artemis II crew: ‘We are forever bonded’
Reporting by Brooke Edwards, Florida Today / Florida Today
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