Artemis II Astronauts Call Lunar Landing Glorious
Artemis II Astronauts Call Lunar Landing Glorious
After a historic lunar flyby, Artemis II crew praises the heat shield and outlines NASA's push toward a crewed Moon landing within two years and a future lunar base.
The Artemis II astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen, have returned from a historic lunar flyby and spoke at their first news conference since Earth return. They praised the spacecraft and especially its heat shield, noting the team saw only a small amount of char loss during reentry and described the ride as glorious.
The crew unveiled a sense of accomplishment as they recounted the nearly 10-day voyage, during which they circumnavigated the lunar far side and witnessed a total lunar eclipse. They also highlighted that their mission significantly bolsters NASA’s ambitions for a crewed Moon landing within two years and the eventual establishment of a lunar base. Their Orion capsule, named Integrity, parachuted into the Pacific, and their Houston homecoming the following day coincided with the 56th anniversary of Apollo 13’s launch.
From NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Wiseman said that, from the capsule’s heat shield, there was a small, reassuring sign of char on the shoulder where the shield meets the hull, but overall the entry looked wonderful and felt amazing. The crew stressed that detailed analyses still lie ahead, and that further data will be studied to understand the heat shield’s long-term performance. The mission marked the first lunar crew mission in more than 50 years and the most diverse to date, pushing the nation's steps toward a sustained presence on the Moon.
