"We Are One Beautiful Humanity"... Thoughts from Artemis 2 Astronauts

Sharing Daily Life, Including Sleeping Upside Down Like a Bat

The Artemis 2, NASA's crewed space exploration vehicle, is heading to the Moon for the first time in half a century, and the thoughts of its four astronauts have been shared.

Crew members of Artemis II. From left, Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, pilot Victor Glover, commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch. NASA

On April 3 (local time), NASA held a live press conference with the four Artemis 2 astronauts, who had begun their journey to the Moon after leaving Earth's orbit. According to BBC and CNN News, astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen spoke candidly about everything from daily life aboard the spacecraft to the sense of responsibility that comes with attempting such a mission for the first time in over 50 years.

Commander Wiseman recalled, "I could see the Earth from the North Pole to the South Pole at a glance. I saw Africa, Europe, and even the aurora. The view was so spectacular that all four of us stopped what we were doing."

On the 2nd, astronauts are being interviewed inside Artemis 2, which entered lunar orbit. From the left, Jeremy Hanson, Reid Wiseman, Christina Cook, Victor Glover. NASA

Glover, who is the first Black astronaut to participate in a lunar mission, was asked if he had any messages to share with people on Earth. He replied, "First, you look amazing and beautiful. From up here, you appear as one entity. No matter where you come from or what you look like, you are Homo sapiens, one humanity." He continued, "There is a reason we call amazing achievements 'moonshots.' This is not about setting aside our differences, but about embracing them and using all our strengths to accomplish something extraordinary."

Although Artemis 2 was launched on the 1st, the astronauts have reportedly only managed to take a couple of short naps so far. Wiseman described, "Christina sleeps in the middle of the spacecraft, hanging upside down like a bat; Victor chose a cozy corner; Jeremy stretches out in his seat; and I sleep under the monitor screen in case of emergency." He added, "Our crewmates love looking out the window so much that the window is already dirty."

Mission specialist Koch referred to herself as the "space plumber," explaining that she played a major role in fixing the spacecraft’s lavatory, which had recently become a hot topic. After Koch repaired the toilet, "everyone breathed a sigh of relief," she said, adding, "It's working properly now."

Artemis 2 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United States, on April 1. After circling the Earth for a day, it is now heading toward the Moon. If everything goes as planned, the crew will become the first humans to reach the far side of the Moon on April 6. They will record geological information, as well as details about the craters, the appearance, texture, and color of ancient lava flows on the lunar surface, to explore the mysteries of the Moon. The spacecraft is scheduled to return to Earth on April 10.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.