Category: Artemis
WATCH: Trump tells moon-looping Artemis astronauts what’s next in out-of-this-world phone call
The Artemis II crew made history on Monday, putting more distance — 252,756 miles — between themselves and Earth than any previous human spaceflight. The previous record, 248,655 miles, was set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen looped around the moon in their Orion spacecraft, flying as close as 4,070 miles on one approach and losing signal for roughly 40 minutes while passing behind the celestial body.
‘We’ll establish a permanent presence.’
In addition to breaking the distance record for human spaceflight and making “impactful science observations” of the far side of the moon, NASA said the crew also took a moment to “provisionally name” a couple of lunar craters.
As the Artemis II crew began their voyage back to Earth, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman notified them that they had a call waiting.
“A very special hello to Artemis II,” said President Donald Trump. “Today, you’ve made history and made all America really proud, incredibly proud. We have a lot of things to be proud of lately, but this is — there’s nothing like what you’re doing, circling around the moon for the first time in more than a half a century and breaking the all-time record for the farthest distance from Planet Earth.”
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Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Trump also informed Hansen that his countrymen are proud of him, stating, “I spoke to your prime minister and many other friends I have in Canada. They are so proud of you.”
Emphasizing that America is a “frontier nation” and that the Artemis II crew are “modern-day pioneers,” the president noted that while such journeys are rare, “It’s going to be more and more prevalent because we’re going to be doing a lot of … traveling, and then you’re going to ultimately do the whole big trip to Mars.”
Trump said that the Artemis II mission sets the stage for a return to the lunar surface “very soon,” adding that “this time, we won’t just leave footprints; we’ll establish a permanent presence on the moon.”
Commander Reid Wiseman, a Baltimore native, told Trump that his call was “certainly special to all of us.”
Wiseman noted that two unforgettable parts of their journey were watching a solar eclipse and glimpsing Mars: “All of us commented how excited we are to watch this nation and this planet become a two-planet species.”
Koch said her top highlight was seeing Earth again after passing around the far side of the moon.
“It really just reminds you what a special place we have and how important it is for our nation … to lead and not follow in exploring deep space,” said Koch.
The president said he plans to invite the astronauts to the White House after their return and to ask them for their autographs.
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