Here’s what ‘moon joy’ looks like on planet Earth

While the astronauts of NASA’s Artemis 2 mission were in the midst of humanity’s first trip around the moon in 53 years, the mission’s lead lunar scientist said “moon joy” was her team’s new motto.

Now that the crew members are back on Earth, they’re reveling in moon joy — and reflecting on the wider meaning of their mission.

Astronaut Christina Koch told the audience at today’s homecoming celebration, held at Ellington Airport near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, that she was once asked what defines a crew.

“A crew is inescapably, beautifully, dutifully linked,” she said. “So, when we saw tiny Earth, people asked our crew what impressions we had. And honestly, what struck me wasn’t necessarily just Earth. It was all the blackness around it. Earth was just this lifeboat, hanging undisturbingly in the universe. … I know I haven’t learned everything that this journey has yet to teach me, but there’s one new thing I know, and that is: Planet Earth, you are a crew.”

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman introduces the Artemis 2 crew to talk about their mission during an emotional post-splashdown celebration at Ellington Airport in Houston:

Koch and her crewmates — mission commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — were all smiles as they were brought out of their Orion space capsule and delivered to a recovery ship in the wake of their April 10 splashdown. The smiles continued on the day after.

Check out this selection of photos from the immediate aftermath of the 10-day Artemis 2 mission, and click on the thumbnails to launch a slideshow with bigger images and captions:

NASA’s Orion spacecraft descends to a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. (NASA Photo / Josh Valcarcel)

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (left) and other team members monitor recovery operations on the USS John P. Murtha in the Pacific Ocean. (NASA Photo / Bill Ingalls)

The team at NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston monitors Orion’s splashdown. (NASA Photo / Robert Markowitz)

Astronauts Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hanson say hello after a helicopter ride to the USS John P. Murtha. (NASA Photo / Bill Ingalls)

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman greets astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch on the USS John P. Murtha. (NASA Photo / Bill Ingalls)

NASA astronaut Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen get welcome-home hugs at Naval Air Station North Island in California. (NASA Photo / Keegan Barber)

The Orion spacecraft looks a bit worse for wear as it’s brought into the well deck of the USS John P. Murtha. (NASA Photo / Joel Kowsky)

NASA astronaut Victor Glover gestures with joy as he walks on the flight deck of the USS John P. Murtha. (NASA Photo / Bill Ingalls)

Mission commander Reid Wiseman is assisted off the flight deck after arriving aboard the USS John P. Murtha. (NASA Photo / Bill Ingalls)

A full house watches the splashdown in a theater at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. (Museum of Flight Photo / Ted Huetter)

For more images from NASA, check out the Artemis 2 multimedia gallery, plus the Flickr photostreams for NASA Johnson, NASA HQ and NASA Kennedy. Seattle’s Museum of Flight has posted photos from its splashdown watch party on Facebook. (Hat tip to the Museum of Flight’s Ted Huetter.)

For more about moon joy, check out this analysis by Penny Abeywardena for Forbes, focusing on the “Artemis 2 Effect.” Garrett Graff also reflects on moon joy and draws a connection to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s governing style.

This concludes Cosmic Log’s day-by-day coverage of the Artemis 2 mission.