Prime Minister Mark Carney commended the Artemis II lunar mission as a remarkable display of collaboration during a short conversation with the crew on Wednesday evening. Carney expressed admiration for the crew’s ambition to reach for the stars and moon, calling it truly inspiring. The crew, consisting of commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, received praise from Carney.
Hansen, the first Canadian to venture into deep space, discussed the calculated risks involved in the Artemis II mission and emphasized the importance of taking risks in collaboration with others, particularly for Canadian youth. Carney expressed Canada’s pride in Hansen’s accomplishments, but Hansen, in turn, expressed his pride in Canada’s contributions to space exploration.
During the call, Carney invited the crew to visit Canada after their return and humorously referenced a viral moment involving a jar of hazelnut spread on the spacecraft. The crew shared light-hearted moments with Carney, including discussions about Canadian preferences for maple syrup over Nutella on pancakes.
Wiseman recounted his training experience in Montreal before a previous mission and highlighted the lasting friendships he formed in Canada. The call, the final space-to-Earth connection arranged by the Canadian Space Agency, took place at the John H. Chapman Space Centre in Longueuil, Que.
The Artemis II crew is preparing for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, with a scheduled return to Earth around 8:06 p.m. ET on Friday. The crew is conducting tests with specialized garments to mitigate the effects of re-entering Earth’s gravity.
The mission achieved a new distance record, surpassing the farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth. The crew members also named two lunar craters, Integrity and Carroll, in honor of their capsule and Wiseman’s late wife. During the mission, crew members made observations of the moon’s surface and distant planets.
NASA released never-before-seen images of the moon captured by the Artemis II crew, providing insights into their observations during the historic lunar flyby. The crew is now focusing on preparing the cabin, entry procedures, equipment stowage, and seat installation for a safe re-entry.
The crew’s return marks the conclusion of a groundbreaking mission that has captured the world’s attention for its achievements in space exploration.