Artemis 2 Splash-Landed . . . and the Crew Got Emotional with America

Artemis 2 Splash-Landed . . . and the Crew Got Emotional with America
Jimbo,
Nasa Astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis Ii Mission Commander, Exits The Orion Crew Module To Join The Three Other Crew In A Raft
NASA Astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II mission commander, exits the Orion crew module to join the three other crew in a raft, before transiting to the U.S. Navy ship USS John P. Murtha in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, U.S. April 10, 2026. NASA's Artemis II mission sent four astronauts on a flight around the moon in the Orion space capsule, which splashed down after the ten day journey. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist David Rowe/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY

Sometimes it’s truly incredible what humans can do.

 

The Artemis 2 mission crew successfully re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego, California on Friday.  (Here’s the video.  Skip to 2:50:00.)

 

NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch . . . and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen . . . all made it back safely, after a nine-day lunar flyby mission that launched on April 1st.

 

The crew traveled further than any humans from Earth, flying around the Moon and then returning . . . a critical step before a planned landing there in 2027 or 2028.

 

All four crewmembers then traveled to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, where they were officially welcomed back.

 

At the event, Reid shared this emotional message to America: Quote, “Love.  What you saw was a group of people who loved contributing, having meaningful contribution and extracting joy out of that.

 

“And what we have been hearing is, that . . . was something special for you to witness.  And the reason I had them [huddling] up here with me is because, what I would suggest to you, is when you look up here . . .

 

“You are not looking at us, we are a mirror reflecting you.  If you like what you see, then just look a little deeper.  This is you.”

 

(Here’s video of the welcome back event.  That’s at 1:02:00.  And here’s the crew struggling to walk at first, as they reacclimate to gravity.)

(You can find more on the mission and landing, here, here, and here.)

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