The Artemis II astronauts held their first press conference following their historic return this Saturday, in an event in Houston where they highlighted their unity and appreciation for Earth and humanity amidst a shower of applause. Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen presented at a press conference to celebrate their return at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, sharing their feelings, clearly emotional and reflecting their great chemistry. "No one down here is ever going to know what the four of us have been through," said Wiseman. He noted that being more than 200,000 miles (321,869 km) from home before launch feels like the biggest dream on Earth, and when you're there, you just want to get back to your family and friends. "It's special to be human, and it's special to be on planet Earth," he added. Before closing the event, Wiseman took the microphone again and, in a tribute to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and "the direction the agency is going now," invited the full room of colleagues to "be ready" to continue building space history after Artemis II. "You all are going to go, and we're going to be there supporting you every step of the way, in every way we can," he stated. Koch reflected on what a crew is: "A group that is in this all the time, that no matter what, rows in unison every minute with the same purpose, that is willing to sacrifice for each other in silence, that offers grace and also asks for accountability." The astronaut sparked one of the most emotional moments when she was left speechless after recalling that what impacted her the most was not seeing the "tiny Earth," but "all the blackness that surrounded it." Glover, for his part, assured he has not "processed" the ten days of his historic space journey around the Moon and thanked God, his families, and the space agency, which he thanked for maintaining its "qualities" despite its leadership change. Hansen, the Canadian who spoke last, pointed to the "human experience" as part of the mission, the crew's commitment to living with "joy" and their "love" for "contributing" to the work, and then gathered his crewmates for a final message to the public: "If you like what you see, then look a little deeper in."
