Artemis 2 Crew Returns After Historic Moon Mission

Four astronauts are back on Earth tonight after an incredible journey that took them farther from home than any humans in more than half a century.

NASA's Artemis 2 crew splashed down safely off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 p.m. EDT today, marking the successful end of a mission that brought humans back to lunar space for the first time since 1972. Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen spent six days aboard the Orion spacecraft "Integrity," flying around the moon and capturing stunning images of our home planet.

The crew made history in multiple ways during their journey. Koch became the first woman ever to see the far side of the moon with her own eyes, while Glover became the first Black man to reach lunar space.

On Monday, the astronauts captured a breathtaking photograph that shows Earth as a delicate crescent shining above the moon's horizon. Every human who has ever lived appears in that single frame, except for the four people taking the picture.

The image reveals white clouds swirling across Earth's sunlit curve while the cratered lunar surface stretches below. The moon's mysterious far side, featuring massive impact basins and ancient craters, fills the lower portion of the photograph.

Why This Inspires

Only 24 people had ever witnessed the moon's far side in person before this mission, all of them white men who flew during the Apollo program between 1968 and 1972. That exclusive club has now grown to 28, and it finally looks more like the rest of us.

Artemis 2 also shattered the distance record for crewed spaceflight, traveling even farther than Apollo 13's famous emergency mission in 1970. The crew proved that NASA's new Orion spacecraft works beautifully, paving the way for Artemis 3 to land astronauts on the lunar surface.

The mission represents more than technical achievement. It shows that the dream of space exploration is alive and expanding to include everyone who looks up at the night sky and wonders what's possible.

Humanity is going back to the moon, and this time we're taking more voices with us.