As they moved closer to Earth, the Artemis II astronauts prepared their lunar spacecraft for the upcoming “fireball” re-entry and reflected on their historic journey around the Moon, describing the experience as surreal and profound.
Thursday marked the next-to-last day of the mission. The crew, the first lunar explorers in more than half a century, were less than 150,000 miles (240,000 km) from Earth as their distance steadily decreased.
“We have to get back. There’s so much data that you’ve seen already, but all the good stuff is coming back with us. There are so many more pictures, so many more stories,” said pilot Victor Glover. He added that “riding a fireball through the atmosphere is profound as well.”
Commander Reid Wiseman said being cut off from all of humanity for nearly an hour while passing behind the Moon felt especially “surreal.”
“There’s a lot that our brains have to process … and it is a true gift,” Wiseman said late Wednesday during the crew’s first news conference since before liftoff.
While out of contact behind the Moon on Monday, Wiseman, Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen became the most distant humans ever. They reached a record 252,756 miles (406,771 km) from Earth before beginning their return journey.
As they emerged from behind the Moon, they also witnessed a total solar eclipse as the Moon blocked the Sun from their perspective.
