A Historic Journey Around the Moon
The crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission has shared their incredible experiences during their journey around the far side of the Moon. This historic mission marked the first time humans have witnessed the mysterious dark side of the Moon with their own eyes.
After a 40-minute blackout, the four astronauts spoke to mission control in Houston, describing the awe-inspiring view they had just experienced. They also encountered a solar eclipse, where the Moon blocked out the Sun’s light from their spacecraft, plunging it into darkness.
“This is, we just went sci-fi. It just looks unreal,” said pilot Victor Glover. He added that what the four astronauts were seeing was “truly hard to describe.”
Glover mentioned that the observation might not have scientific value but expressed gratitude for launching on April 1, as he believed humans hadn’t evolved to see what they were witnessing. He described the Earth as “so bright” and the Moon as “just hanging in front of us.” He also noted the “black orb out in front of us now, not the blackness but the grey that blends and drifts into the blackness… We can see stars and planets behind it.”
Commander Reid Wiseman echoed these sentiments, stating that the view was “indescribable.” He emphasized that no matter how long they looked at the scene, their brains struggled to process what they were seeing. “It is absolutely spectacular, surreal… there’s no adjectives, I’m going to need to invent some new ones, there’s absolutely no words to describe what we are looking at out this window.”
During the eclipse, the crew was instructed to spend 35 minutes observing and recording the event. They split into two teams to take detailed accounts of their experiences. The “cabin team” supported the “window team” by using onboard cameras and sensors. Mission control confirmed that the eclipse observation period ended just before 3am BST.
Following the observation, the team began “down-linking” all the images and data they captured over the past seven hours of observation.
A Surprise Call from the President
In addition to communication with mission control, the crew had a surprise call from former President Donald Trump. During the conversation, Trump praised the astronauts for making history and expressed pride in their achievements. “Today, you’ve made history and made all America really proud, incredibly proud,” he said.
Trump asked the astronauts about their experience when they lost communication with Earth. Pilot Victor Glover responded by sharing that he said “a little prayer” before resuming his work to record the dark side of the Moon.
The President also inquired about the most “unforgettable part” of the “really historic” day. Commander Reid Wiseman replied that seeing sights no human had ever seen, not even during the Apollo missions, was an amazing experience for them.
After the call, the four astronauts were invited to the White House, where Trump promised to give them a “big salute on behalf of the American people and beyond that.”
Returning Home
The crew is now on their way back to Earth after completing their journey around the Moon late in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Their mission has opened new possibilities for future space exploration and has inspired a new generation of scientists, engineers, and dreamers.
