Artemis crew speaks of gratitude, joy at closing conference

Artemis II pilot Victor Glover on Saturday thanked God during a news conference in Houston marking the end of the mission. He struggled to describe his gratitude for everything he saw and experienced and the team he did it all with, he said. He also thanked his family and NASA leadership. Glover and his three fellow astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego the previous day, concluding a journey that began April 1 and included a historic flight around the far side of the moon.

The other astronauts also focused on their gratitude for the people involved in the mission. Mission specialist Christina Koch said she learned the definition of a crew. It was a group of people with the same purpose who sacrificed for each other, gave each other grace, and held each other accountable, she said. Looking back on Earth as it hung in the blackness of space, she realized that everyone on the planet was a crew, she said.

Canadian mission specialist Jeremy Hansen highlighted his crew’s dedication to joy and love for each other. If people liked what they saw among the crew, they should look a little deeper and realize those qualities were also in them, he said.

Commander Reid Wiseman thanked his crewmates and family. Before the mission, spaceflight felt like the greatest dream, but out in space he just wanted to get back to his family and friends, he said. He realized how special it was to be a human on planet Earth, he said. Wiseman also said the Artemis II crew was passing the baton to other NASA scientists and astronauts and would support their future missions in any way possible.

What do we know about the Artemis III mission? Set for 2027, the mission will test the docking process between the Orion spacecraft and at least one commercial moon lander vehicle. Both SpaceX and Blue Origin had landers that could be tested during the mission, according to NASA. The Artemis III crew hasn’t been announced yet. NASA administrator Jared Isaacman on Saturday said that the crew was already preparing and that the United States would soon return to the moon permanently. NASA previously announced plans for a moon landing by 2028, along with a future lunar colony.

Dig deeper: Read my report on Glover’s previous message about Jesus’ love.