Artemis II and How Love Prevails
The Artemis II mission by NASA involved astronauts Reid Wisemen, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen. Artemis II was a crewed flyby of the Moon and was the first flight with a crew outside of Earth's lower orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. While the mission drew some criticism for being “unnecessary” and “not what we need to be focusing on”, there was a lot of good that resulted from the mission.
In a time when the news has been bleak and overwhelming, it was nice to tune in and see history being made by a humble crew of 4 astronauts with a mission to spread love across the globe. Ever since the race to the moon in the 1950’s-60’s, there has been a looming competitive feel to scientific discoveries between countries involving astronomy. However, the Artemis II crew used every second of their time in interviews to spread messages of love, unity, and a greater good that extends beyond the U.S. borders.
When the crew was cleared for launch, Hansen uttered the statement “we go for all humanity”. This statement may sound a little cliché, but it signified how the crew was about to make history, and that the mission’s success reaches beyond national achievement.
Artemis II Crew Via Pinterest
A moment that really caught the public’s attention was when the crew decided to name a crater after Carroll Wiseman, Reid Wiseman’s deceased wife. She had undergone a harsh battle with cancer, and passed away when she was just 46 years old. This garnered a deeply emotional response from the public and was seen as the ultimate gesture of love, bringing a new meaning to the phrase “love you to the moon and back”. Wiseman dedicated the crater to both his wife and their two daughters Katey and Ellie. The crew shared a touching moment on board with a warm embrace after announcing to the public the crater’s dedication, which proved to be a much-needed highlight of recent news.
Astronauts have trained for countless hours of their lives to explore the unknowns of the universe. The Artemis II mission sparked the new generation of children to shoot for the stars and chase their dreams of visiting space. Many parents took to social media to share their kids excitedly watching the news featuring the Artemis II crew and their mission coverage. In recent years, kids have been noted for aspiring to be YouTubers and influencers. This is what they have been primarily exposed to with the allowance of younger and younger kids getting access to the internet and social media. Seeing kids get excited about space exploration and having ambitious goals has been an amazing reminder that these dreams have not fully fizzled out in Gen Alpha.
Astronaut Christina Koch gives 5-year-old Jack a NASA spacesuit (CBS News)
By inspiring new generations of potential astronauts and promoting love and unity, the Artemis II crew delivered a truly special moment in our world’s history. They formed a family-like bond from their shared experiences and were able to support each other in their individual emotional journeys. They share the experience of being part of a mission that took humans the farthest they have ever traveled from Earth, marking a new age of space exploration.
When asked what they would miss most about being in space, they all gave the same answer: being together. Even when traveling to space, away from all the noise, they realized the most precious thing in life is each other.
Cover Image: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/790029959676691251/ (Pinterest)
Image 1: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/790029959676691272/ (Pinterest)
Image 2: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/artemis-ii-crew-commander-jack-spacesuit-nasa/ (CBS News)