Artemis II astronauts describe their lunar voyage as surreal and profound ahead of Earth return

This image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew captured this view the Moon and Earth are shown on Monday, April 6, 2026. (NASA via AP) 2026-04-09T16:48:04Z HOUSTON (AP) — Drawing ever closer to Earth, the Artemis II astronauts tidied up their lunar cruiser for its upcoming “fireball” return and reflected on their historic journey around the Moon , describing it as surreal and profound. As the next-to-last day of their flight dawned Thursday, humanity’s first lunar explorers in more than half a century were less than 150,000 miles (240,000 kilometers) from home with the odometer clicking down. “We have to get back. There’s so much data that you’ve seen already, but all the good stuff is coming back with us. There are so many more pictures, so many more stories,” said pilot Victor Glover, adding that “riding a fireball through the atmosphere is profound as well.” Being cut off from all of humanity for nearly an hour while behind the Moon was especially “surreal,” according to commander Reid Wiseman. “There’s a lot that our brains have to process ... and it is a true gift,” Wiseman said late Wednesday during the crew’s first news conference since before liftoff. While out of contact behind the Moon Monday, Wiseman, Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen became the most distant humans ever, clocking in at a record 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers) from Earth before heading back. As they emerged from behind the Moon, they experienced a wondrous total solar eclipse as the orb blocked the sun from their perspective. Launching from Florida on April 1 diminished the amount of illumination on the lunar far side, Glover noted, but the eclipse was the consolation prize “and it was one of the greatest gifts.” (