OTTAWA - The Artemis II crew shared their most memorable moments from their historic lunar mission during a public appearance in Canada, highlighting a unique solar eclipse and a powerful message of unity.
Commander Reid Wiseman recalled his crew's reaction as the sun disappeared behind the moon for 53 minutes on April 6-a sight only visible from space. "Very quickly, I heard gasps. I heard, 'Oh my God.' I heard, 'I can't believe this,'" Wiseman said.
Pilot Victor Glover described the view of the moon, backdropped by the solar corona and illuminated by Earthshine, as "sci-fi."
Mission specialist Christina Koch, who holds the record for longest consecutive spaceflight by a woman, revealed her iconic "braid selfie" was initially unintentional. She only realized its global impact after a call with her husband late in the mission. "All we ever wanted was to be able to move the needle, to hopefully tell people that our shared humanity is the most important thing we have," Koch said.
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, the first non-American to leave low Earth orbit, emphasized the crew's philosophy: "The joy train." He said the crew has become adept at getting back on the joy train by assuming good intentions-a lesson he believes applies to international relations.