After a historic 10-day mission, NASA’s Artemis II crew is set to splash down off the California coast on Friday.
“The views of planet Earth. We’ve circled it completely, and we forgot how beautiful it is to look down on Earth,” said Commander Reid Wiseman.
The four-member crew traveled deeper into space than any humans in history, delivering never-before-seen images of the far side of the moon.
“It actually looks like a large healing wound, with a high albedo forming the mountain chain around the impact basin,” astronaut Christina Koch said.
The mission also broke a record set in 1970 by Apollo 13. “We most importantly choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived,” astronaut Jeremy Hansen said.
The team captured stunning images along the way, including a total solar eclipse, while drawing excitement back on Earth and renewing enthusiasm for space exploration.
“We are going to celebrate a new milestone for everybody, not only for the USA, but for the whole planet, for all humanity,” said Hector Ybe of Elkins Park SkyWatchers.
NASA says the mission will help with future space operations and provide crucial data on the moon’s geological changes.
“The conversations and the science lessons learned are just beginning,” said Kelsey Young of NASA.
Memorable moments marked the journey, including a conversation with the commander-in-chief. “Hello, a very special hello to Artemis II today. You’ve made history and made all America really proud, incredibly proud,” remarked President Trump.
The crew also received a prerecorded message from Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, who died last August. “It’s a historic day, and I know how busy you’ll be, but don’t forget to enjoy the view,” Lovell said.
The mission was also marked by moments of faith.
“This really beautiful view of a crescent moon and a crescent Earth…’How Great Thou Art,'” a voice from mission control said as the crew neared the dark side of the moon.
The team of four astronauts was also awakened to the 2011 song “Good Morning” by Christian recording artists TobyMac and the late Mandisa, who died in April 2024.
That message of faith was particularly present with pilot Victor Glover, a Sunday school teacher known for carrying a Bible and communion cups on his missions. Glover delivered several Christ-centered messages from space, including one just before an anticipated 40-minute communication blackout aboard the vessel.
“As we continue to unlock the mystery of the cosmos, I’d like to remind you of one of the most important mysteries there on Earth, and that’s love,” Glover said. “Christ said in response to what was the greatest command, that it was to love God with all that you are…and he also, being a great teacher, said the second is equal to it. And that is to love your neighbor as yourself.”
Glover also delivered an impromptu Easter message in an interview with CBS News.
“When I read the Bible and I look at all of the amazing things that were done for us, who were created, you have this amazing place, this spaceship. You guys are talking to us because we’re in a spaceship really far from Earth. But you’re on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe, in the cosmos,” he began.
“I think as we go into Easter Sunday thinking about all the cultures all around the world, whether you celebrate it or not, whether you believe in God or not, this is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are and that we are the same… And that we got to get through this together,” Glover concluded.
A mission now nearly complete with one small step for man and one giant leap of faith.
WATCH: Artemis Astronaut’s Powerful Mid-Mission Message About God
