Houston (AFP) – Artemis II astronauts expressed awe on Saturday over their record-setting lunar flyby mission, urging unity on Earth after witnessing the planet’s isolation like a “lifeboat” in space. The crew spoke at a news conference as NASA took a victory lap following the success of the mission.
The astronauts did the first slingshot around the Moon in more than 50 years and traveled deeper into space than any humans before, culminating in a smooth splashdown Friday off the coast of California. Flanked on stage by mission commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen, astronaut Christina Koch called for people on Earth to embrace their shared humanity.
“What struck me wasn’t necessarily just Earth, it was all the blackness around it. Earth was just this lifeboat hanging undisturbingly in the universe,” said Koch. “There’s one new thing I know and that is: Planet Earth — you are a crew.”
Hansen called on fans of the Artemis mission to see themselves in the crew of four, who marked a series of milestones: Glover was the first person of color to fly around the Moon, Koch was the first woman, and Canadian Hansen the first non-American.
“I would suggest to you that when you look up here, you’re not looking at us. We are a mirror reflecting you,” Hansen said. “And if you like what you see, then just look a little deeper. This is you.”
While hurtling through deep space and zipping around the Moon, the Artemis astronauts took thousands of photographs, amassing a stunning portfolio of images. They also witnessed a solar eclipse along with extraordinary meteorite strikes on the lunar surface.
“Artemis II will always be remembered. It was the moment we all saw the moon again, where childhood dreams became missions. You helped the world start believing again, and this is something no one’s ever going to forget,” NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said.
Artemis II was the inaugural crewed mission of NASA’s program aiming to install a sustained presence on the Moon, including the eventual construction of a base that could be used for further exploration, including to Mars. NASA is hoping it can put boots on the lunar surface as soon as 2028.
© 2024 AFP
