Artemis II

 

"We need

Jesus,

whether on Earth

or circling the

moon.”

Victor Glover

 

Observations about Artemis II:

April 1-10, 2026 – 1st crewed mission to the moon’s vicinity in over 50 years

Commander: Reid Wiseman, 2nd spaceflight

Pilot: Victor Glover, 2nd spaceflight

Mission Specialist 1: Christina Koch, 2nd spaceflight

Mission Specialist 2: Jeremy Hansen, 1st spaceflight

 

Trip around the moon broke record for farthest human spaceflight in history: 252,756 miles

 

Flying behind moon astronauts lost radio contact for 40 minutes

 

First humans to see entire far side of moon which faces away from Earth

 

Named a lunar crater “Carroll,” after Commander Wiseman’s late wife

 

Trained for years to perform mission with excellence

 

Hundreds, if not thousands of people back on earth, had to perform their specific job accurately to ensure a successful mission.

 

Families make great sacrifices for their loved one to train and go into space.

 

Jim Lovell spent 715 hours in space, during 4 missions. Months before his death, on August7, 2025, at age 97, Lovell recorded a message for the four astronauts on Artemis II to hear right before they broke his record of distance traveled. NASA held on to it, without others knowing. On April 6, day 6 of the mission, a few hours before reaching the furthest humans have flown, Jim Lovell’s voice was played, “Hello, Artemis II. This is Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell. Welcome to my old neighborhood.” After talking about Apollo 8, orbiting the moon with Frank Borman and Bill Anders, watching the sunrise, and the lunar horizon, he called each astronaut by name and said, “I’m proud to pass that torch on to you. Don’t forget to take it all in…the beauty, the perspective…the meaning of what you’re doing. Good luck and Godspeed from all of us here on the good Earth.”

 

Glover emphasized, “The mission was an opportunity to appreciate the shared, fragile nature of life.” He urged people to “love God” and “love your neighbor.”

 

Orion splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego.

 

Lucas Ye, a second grader, designed the Artemis II mascot, Rise, that rode in the capsule. Reid Wiseman brought Rise with him when he excited Orion, to make sure he stayed safe.

 

Nikola Sagan stated, “Their mission reminds us that even at the edge of deep space, human connection remains our greatest strength.”

 

I will treasure seeing the anticipation and excitement of 3 generations of our family watching and celebrating the successful reentry and landing of Orion and the four astronauts.

 

What an amazing 10 days of so many people coming together to marvel at space exploration and wish the best for the astronauts and their mission.

 

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1