Artemis II astronauts express love for families: ‘Their support has been unbelievable’

HUNT VALLEY, Md. (TNND) — The Artemis II astronauts expressed love for their families on Thursday.

NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen, shared their appreciation in messages to their children and other relatives.

Wiseman, the mission’s commander, spoke first about his love for his daughters in response to an invitation by a U.S. lawmaker to address them.

“I just wanna look at my daughters, Ellie and Katey, and just say I love you, and their support has been unbelievable,” Wiseman said. “I don’t think they knew what this mission really meant when we launched, but they have learned through the outpouring of public support, their friends’ support and family’s support.”

Glover, the pilot of the Orion spacecraft, shared encouragement for his four daughters. He said he and his wife, Dionna, are transitioning from coaching their kids to cheerleading for them.

“Genesis, Maya, Joia and Corinne, as we are on our way back from this dream of a mission, your mom and I look forward to supporting you chasing and catching your own dreams,” Glover said.

Koch, who shares mission specialist duties with Hansen, noted that it felt like her nine nieces and nephews were with her during the mission, which will end Friday night. Hansen told his kids that he learns as much from them as they learn from him.

“The one thing I’d remind you and I think is worth reminding ourselves and other youth is that all you have to do on any given day is just get up and do your best and try to find joy in your day and try to contribute in a meaningful and positive way,” Hansen said.

The astronauts will return to Earth around 8 p.m., splashing down off the coast of San Diego. They departed from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida last week for a mission to evaluate the Orion’s performance in deep space.

On Monday, the crew traveled farther into space than any human before, breaking the record of 248,655 miles set by Apollo 13 in 1970.

“They are charting new frontiers for all humanity,” Lori Glaze, the acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, said in a statement. “Their dedication is about more than breaking records – it’s fueling our hope for a bold future.”

NASA plans to launch the next mission in the series, Artemis III, in 2027. In that expedition, the agency will try to test meeting and docking abilities between the Orion and commercial spacecraft in preparation for landing astronauts on the moon.

Do you have questions, concerns or tips? Send them to Ray at rjlewis@sbgtv.com.