HOUSTON – On the evening of last Friday, The Artemis II crew has successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after a historic 695,081-mile, nine-day journey around the moon and back that set records for space exploration.
One East Texan was there at the launch on April 1 at Kennedy Space Center, and as the crew returned to Ellington Field in the Houston area, near Johnson Space Center. Rep. Brian Babin (R-Woodville) of Texas’s 36th congressional district, who witnessed both events, called the mission, which set out to observe the far side of the moon, representative of the “pioneering spirit that defines our great country.”
Babin, who chairs the congressional Committee on Science, Space and Tech, said Congress has maintained a steady continuity of purpose and support to keep the Artemis program moving forward. He and his wife, Roxanne, cheered on the mission and its crew as it lifted off in Florida, and thrilled in helping to greet the returning astronauts in Texas.
“While we celebrate this extraordinary achievement, we must also recognize what it represents,” Babin said, and called the mission “a critical step forward” toward President Donald Trump’s aim of returning Americans to the moon by 2028.
“The United States is ready for this challenge, and we are ready to lead,” Babin said.
According to NASA, the Artemis II astronauts surpassed the record for the distance travelled from Earth, which was previously recorded by the Apollo 13 mission (248,655 miles). The Artemis II mission managed to travel 252,756 miles from Earth.
Artemis II, with its crew of four astronauts, was debuted as a test flight to support subsequent Artemis missions, according to NASA, with the aim at returning humans to the moon’s surface. The Artemis program was established in 2017 and was the first flight to have a crew beyond low Earth orbit since the Apollo 17 flight in 1972.
Artemis II was also the second flight of the Space Launch System, and the first flight to feature a crew aboard the Orion spacecraft, which the crew christened as “Integrity.”
The flight’s crew of Victor Glover; Christina Koch; Jeremy Hansen and commander Reid Wiseman set several records for its diversity. Glover became the first person of color to journey into deep space, while Koch was the first woman to do the same. Canadian Space Agency astronaut Hansen was the first non-U.S. citizen to travel into deep space on a NASA mission and Wiseman, at age 50, was the oldest person to travel beyond low Earth orbit.
In remarks reported by the Associated Press after their return, Glover said “I have not processed what we just did, and I’m afraid to start even trying.”
Wiseman added that “When you’re out there, you just want to get back to your families and your friends.”
Babin noted, with pride, that it was the first time in more than 50 years that America put astronauts into space beyond low Earth orbit. “This mission builds the foundation for our return to the lunar surface and the journey onward to Mars,” he said.
“Artemis II has demonstrated to the world what America is capable of and our international cooperation is capable of,” Babin said.
