In 1969, Neil Armstrong said, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Over 50 years later, the engines of NASA’s Artemis II ignited on April 1, 2026, at 3:35 p.m. PST, marking the first manned vessel to the moon since 1972. Now, over 250,000 miles from Earth’s surface, the Artemis II crew has gone further than anyone in human history.
The Artemis II test flight will confirm the systems needed to support astronauts in deep-space exploration and prepare for establishing a sustained presence on the moon.
Four days into the mission, Pilot Victor Glover and his companions gave a compelling Easter Sunday speech. Glover spoke on the impact that seeing Earth from so far away had on him. The Christian message surprised many viewers, connecting with religious people who did not expect such a topic from such an accomplished astronaut.
On Monday, April 6, astronauts provided Mission Control with detailed descriptions of the moon’s topography. The human eye can detect details mid-orbit that many satellites and cameras cannot. One of the noticeable details was the color differences on the surface, such as shades of browns and blues, due to the mineral composition.
Commander Reid Wiseman lost his wife, Carroll, to cancer in 2020 after a five-year battle. When orbiting the moon and surpassing Apollo 13’s distance record, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen made a special request to Mission Control back on Earth.
“A number of years ago, we started this journey in our close-knit astronaut family, and we lost a loved one. And there is a feature in a really neat place on the moon,” Hansen said. “It is a bright spot on the moon, and we would like to call that Carroll. The spouse of Reid. The mother of Katie and Ellie.”
This request has touched many hearts around the globe. The tight-knit space crew has been compared to Marvel’s ‘Fantastic Four.’ This connection stems from the crew consisting of three males and one female, with Reid and Victor being two of the members’ names.
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The Artemis II mission marks many space firsts on board. Mission specialist Christina Koch has become the first woman to travel into deep space and fly past the far side of the moon. Notably, she took it upon herself to fix the toilet on board the Orion spacecraft, which is not uncommon but comical. The toilet suffered a jammed fan and controller fault that prevented normal use. Koch has deemed herself the space plumber.
Another first upon Artemis II is that Glover is the first black astronaut to orbit the moon. He hails from Pomona, California, and attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Fresno Christian senior Delaney Meyers finds Glover’s California connection inspiring. Meyers plans to attend Cal Poly in the fall.
“Cal Poly promotes a ‘learn by doing’ mindset, and seeing somebody like Glover achieve such amazing things makes my goals feel less out of reach,” Meyers said. “His hard work encourages me to take initiative, engage on campus and seek out new opportunities.”
On April 10, the crew is set to splash down in the Pacific Ocean, marking the earthly return of Artemis II at a reentry speed of nearly 25,000 miles per hour. Currently, they are 200,940 miles from Earth at 1,833 miles per hour on their sixth elapsed day in space.
To track the spacecraft, click here.
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Catherine Peters • Apr 10, 2026 at 11:19 pm
Thorough article. Glad “The Feather” covered this amazing moment in history!
Meghan • Apr 10, 2026 at 11:39 am
Amazing article Tabitha and Hayden! I’ll be praying for their safe return today!