Artemis II astronauts speak for the first time since end of mission

[0:00] Ladies and gentlemen, your Artemis II crew. [0:03] All Artemis II crew, this moment is the result of years of hard work, [1:02] absolute immense expertise, and just being all-around great human beings. [1:07] Now, of course, many of us already knew that, especially your families that supported you [1:11] throughout your impressive careers and on this 250,000-mile mission from Earth. [1:17] But now the world knows what incredible people you are [1:20] as you brought us all along with you on this epic journey of integrity. [1:26] Over the last 10 days, you tested the SLS rocket, the Orion spacecraft, [1:30] you manually piloted the vehicle, you performed critical operations, [1:34] relayed scientific observations, captured inspiring pictures, [1:39] and, of course, ventured farther into space than anyone in history on a true test mission. [1:45] You were, of course, the first crew to fly on this rocket and spacecraft, and that comes with risk. [1:50] You accepted that risk for what we collectively stood to gain, [1:54] all that we have now learned from your mission, and for where we will inevitably go from here. [2:00] But you are not alone. [2:02] You took all of us along with you, the contributions from the pioneers of decades past, [2:08] the love of your families here on Earth, and those that were watching over you from the stars. [2:15] Artemis II is the opening act in America's return to the moon. [2:17] As we stand here this evening, the mobile launcher is preparing to go back to the VAB. [2:23] Artemis III will start being assembled, and the next crew will begin preparing to play their part. [2:29] As we return to the lunar surface, we build the base, and we never give up the moon again. [2:34] Commander Wiseman, Reed, you said in an interview back in February [2:52] that you hoped this mission would be forgotten, overshadowed by all that was to come after. [2:59] But I'm very sorry to disappoint you all. [3:05] Artemis II will always be remembered. [3:08] It was the moment we all saw the moon again, where childhood dreams became missions. [3:14] You helped the world start believing again, and this is something no one's ever going to forget. [3:19] So on behalf of NASA and the space-loving community from around the world, [3:24] thank you for showing us your courage, your professionalism, your unity, and your humanity. [3:30] Thank you for showing us the moon again. [3:33] Thank you for showing us planet Earth again. [3:35] And thank you for contributing to the greatest adventure in human history. [3:39] Welcome home, Artemis II. [3:41] And now it's my honor to turn the floor over to Commander Reed Wiseman. [4:00] Yeah, let's sink. Let's sink real quick. [4:13] Three, two, one. [4:15] Integrity. [4:17] So we wear these Acti-watches, and if you hit this button, the red light lights up, [4:24] which tells you you've got a good battery. [4:26] And I don't know why, but for the last two years when we wear these—hey, Hopper. [4:29] For the last two years when we wear these things, it just kind of brings us back into focus [4:33] whenever we get a little distracted. [4:34] So we did a lot of in-sinking when we were on this mission for no reason whatsoever. [4:38] I have absolutely no idea what to say. [4:41] This is—24 hours ago, the Earth was that big out the window, and we were doing Mach 39, [4:45] and here we are back at Ellington at home. [4:47] Every one of us are just going to give a couple words, but I get the mic first, so I'm going to start. [5:06] Victor, Christina, and Jeremy, we are bonded forever. [5:12] And no one down here is ever going to know what the four of us just went through. [5:18] And it was the most special thing that will ever happen in my life. [5:21] And our families are over here, and with the exception of Dot, Susie, and Jeannie, [5:27] who are in the audience, but I don't know where they are. [5:29] But, Dot, I'm going to hit Mac and Donald's later today, in honor of your husband. [5:36] No one knows what the families went through, man. [5:39] This was not easy, being 200,000-plus miles away from home. [5:44] Like, before you launch, it feels like it's the greatest dream on Earth. [5:48] And when you're out there, you just want to get back to your families and your friends. [5:52] It's a special thing to be a human, and it's a special thing to be on planet Earth. [5:56] Thank you. [5:57] The person who can follow that up is Victor Glover, so let's go. [6:27] And now we're ready for questions. [6:31] I'm going to keep it brief, because I don't—I'm afraid to start talking. [6:35] I have not processed what we just did, and I'm afraid to start even trying. [6:43] When this started on April 3rd, I wanted to thank God in public, and I want to thank God [6:52] again, because even bigger than my challenge trying to describe what we went through, the [7:00] gratitude of seeing what we saw, doing what we did, and being with who I was with, it's [7:09] too big to just be in one body. [7:11] And I wanted to thank our families for everything that he just said. [7:17] So, great words, great words, great words. [7:19] I love you, but not just those five beautiful, cocoa-skinned ladies right there. [7:26] I love you. [7:31] And I wanted to thank our leadership. [7:34] And it's changed since we were here in April of 2023. [7:39] Qualities haven't. [7:40] And we are fortunate to be in this agency at this time together. [7:49] And so, I'm going to sit down. [7:51] Thank you also to our air operations for this facility and for our ride home from San Diego. [7:58] And I love you. [8:00] Thank you. [8:23] Ree just said it was a setup for us, who had to follow him. [8:26] That's true. [8:29] I couldn't sleep this morning, so I did write some words down in my mind, and I'm going [8:33] to try and share them with you today. [8:35] Ten days ago, this journey started with our mission manager, Sean Duvall, knocking on [8:43] my door in crew quarters and whispering, go for launch. [8:49] And it ended last night when my nurse on the ship put me to bed and said, ma'am, can I get [9:00] a hug? [9:04] A lot has happened since then, but—or between those two moments, but the start and the end [9:15] were human moments here on Earth. [9:17] So, several years ago, I was giving a speech, and I was doing my usual talk about crew and [9:24] crewmates and teamwork. [9:25] And someone asked the question, what makes a crew? [9:29] What is different about a crew than a team? [9:32] And I was like, I got this. [9:33] Opened my mouth confidently to tell them everything I knew about being a crewmate. [9:37] And everything that came out of my mouth was completely without value. [9:42] I was like, yeah, crews, they're, you know, they're in space, and they work together, but [9:51] they eat together, too. [9:51] So, you know, they're a crew. [9:53] And boats have crews. [9:56] You know, you're a crew if you're on a boat. [9:58] Helps if you have a paddle. [9:59] That's—that'll be good. [10:00] That'll make you a crew. [10:01] But the last 10 days, I've gotten a little bit of a better answer on that question. [10:10] A crew is people or, you know, a group that is in it all the time, no matter what, that [10:20] is stroking together every minute with the same purpose, that is willing to sacrifice silently [10:28] for each other, that gives grace, that holds accountable, a crew has the same cares and [10:38] the same needs, and a crew is inescapably, beautifully, dutifully linked. [10:49] So, when we saw Tiny Earth, people asked our crew what impressions we had. [11:00] And honestly, what struck me wasn't necessarily just Earth. [11:06] It was all the blackness around it. [11:11] Earth was just this lifeboat hanging undisturbingly in the universe. [11:18] So, I may have not learned—I know I haven't learned—everything that this journey has yet [11:45] to teach me. [11:46] But there's one new thing I know, and that is, Planet Earth, you are a crew. [11:56] Thank you. [11:58] Well, it's been a lot. [12:25] This isn't helping. [12:29] But this is the furthest I've been away from Reed in a long time. [12:31] I think—yeah, thank you. [12:51] I think what I'd like to share today is maybe three of the human experiences for us. [12:58] And you haven't heard us talk a lot about the science, the things we've learned, and [13:02] that's because they're there, and they're incredible. [13:06] But it's the human experience that is extraordinary for us. [13:10] And it sounds like maybe for you, too. [13:13] And so, I think I'll start with gratitude. [13:16] Gratitude for my family. [13:19] Gratitude for NASA, for its leadership. [13:23] Gratitude for Canadian Space Agency. [13:27] Gratitude for Le Canadien, Le Canadien, et j'ai hâte de pouvoir revenir avec Reed, Christina, [13:36] Victor, Canada. [13:41] Gratitude for—or—gratitude for the bravery and the courage for the teams to be no-go when [13:48] we were no-go and go when we were go. [13:52] That took a lot. [13:55] And I don't think people will really ever fully comprehend how well supported and trained [14:00] we were. [14:02] It is almost unbelievable. [14:04] All right. [14:17] And as my daughter would say, I'll try and stay locked in here. [14:20] OK. [14:22] The next one is joy. [14:23] We have a term in our crew that we coined a long time ago, the joy train. [14:28] And you saw—I think you saw—sounds like you saw a lot of joy up there. [14:31] There was a lot of joy. [14:33] We're not always on the joy train, this crew. [14:36] There are many times we're not on the joy train, but we are committed to getting back [14:41] on the joy train as soon as we can. [14:43] And that is a useful life skill for any team trying to get something done. [14:49] And the last one is—I need your help for this. [14:52] Come on up here, guys. [14:56] The last one is love. [14:59] What you saw was a group of people who loved contributing, having meaningful contribution, [15:06] and extracting joy out of that. [15:09] And what we've been hearing is that was something special for you to witness. [15:16] And the reason I had them form up here with me is because I would suggest to you that when [15:21] you look up here, you're not looking at us. [15:24] We are a mirror reflecting you. [15:27] And if you like what you see, then just look a little deeper. [15:31] This is you. [15:32] Wow. [15:34] Thank you, Reed, Victor, Christina and Jeremy, for your leadership, your integrity, for representing [16:11] the very best of human exploration. [16:15] You are the tip of the spear representing all of the ground teams working along your side [16:20] to make this mission a success. [16:22] And, by the way, welcome home. [16:23] TON Georgetown [16:24] Yeah, it's .