On April 6, humankind reached the farthest point we have ever been from planet Earth. On the Artemis II mission, NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen traveled 252,756 miles away from home, which is the farthest that humanity has ever gone, breaking the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
This 10-day trip was also the first crewed mission in over 50 years that circled the Moon, making it a turning point in space exploration.
“Humans have been to the Moon before and I was lucky enough to witness all of the Apollo Moon landings, which began when I was in kindergarten,” said Ida B. Wells astronomy club advisor Robert Brown.
“Since I’ve been waiting a long time for the next one [Artemis II] I think what is most significant is that people are going back there at all.” said Brown. “The circumstances this time are completely different, the motivations are completely different, the technology has matured immensely, and putting all of this together into a moonshot is worthwhile on its own as well as necessary if we think we’re ever going to establish a moon base.”
The main goal of the Artemis II mission was to ensure the ability and survival of humans on NASA’s Orion spacecraft in deep space. From April 1 to April 10, the four-person crew tested the Orion’s mechanical systems, life support and behavior during emergency procedures. The mission was also the first step in science’s return to studying the Moon, which hasn’t been a top priority since the Apollo 13 mission.
“Artemis II proved the vehicle, the teams, the architecture, and the international partnership that will return humanity to the lunar surface,” said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya Reid.
In addition to the experiments they performed there, the astronauts who went to space on the Artemis II continue to be huge symbols of progress and diversity in space exploration. “Victor, Christina, and Jeremy carried the hopes of this world farther than humans have traveled in more than half a century,” said Kshatriya Reid.
Koch holds the record for the longest continuous time in space by a woman as well as being part of the first all-female spacewalk, and Glover was the first African-American to stay long-term on the International Space Station. Hansen was the only Canadian on the mission, strengthening the connection between Canada and the United States.
Besides running tests on technology, the astronauts continued past studies on the effects of space travel on the human body and sleep. They also observed Earth’s health and were the first humans to ever view the side of the Moon that did not face Earth during a lunar flyby.
The astronauts reported back to mission control at NASA about the craters and formations they saw on the Moon’s surface, providing more information than collected satellite images in the past. They also suggested calling a new crater Integrity, after the name they had given the Orion spacecraft. They dubbed another crater Carroll, after Wiseman’s late wife.
The Artemis II mission was very inspiring, showing the global audience that journeys to space could soon not just be insignificant trips, but steps in the direction towards human life on the Moon.
“I was inspired to pursue a career in space education after watching the Apollo 11 moon landing as a child,” said Jim Todd, the director of space education at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). “This pivotal experience sparked a lifelong dedication to teaching space science and fostering a sense of wonder in new generations. Seeing a diverse crew—including the first woman, first person of color, and first non-American to leave Earth’s orbit—makes ‘space for everyone’ a tangible reality rather than just a slogan.”
The astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10, with NASA stating afterwards that it was a “mission well-accomplished.” Because of the massive success of the Artemis II trip, NASA has already made plans for an Artemis III mission, which will focus on testing technology like landing systems within Earth’s orbit, hopefully setting up the Artemis IV mission to actually land on the Moon in 2028.
“Fifty‑three years ago, humanity left the Moon. This time, we returned to stay. The future is ours to win,” said Kshatriya Reid.
