Watching the splashdown return of Orion was utterly thrilling and such a joy to know that the Artemis ll mission was a brilliant success. Seeing them come home safely dissolved those quiet dark fears of anything happening during re-entry. Astronaut Jeremy Hansen said it so well when he recognized that, as special as the mission was to the crew, it was equally special to millions of people watching on Earth. Following their journey mirrors the journey in us and reflects our own hopes and dreams. So true.



Huge congratulations to NASA and the Artemis ll crew for the spectacular launch of the spaceship Orion and its boost into deep space on their voyage to the moon and back. It is such an amazing, stunning moment made possible by the brilliance of all the engineers and technicians and the contributions of thousands of employees. The four astronauts - Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen - carry a world of hopes and dreams into the vastness of space as we resume our exploration of the moon after more than a 50-year absence. I remember following the Apollo space program and watching in awe as astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped off the ladder of Eagle, the lunar module, onto the dusty lunar surface where they forever left their boot prints. Artemis ll is setting the stage once more with the first crewed flight test in over half a century to test all the human, mechanical, electronic, piloting, safety and survival systems for space flight. Good luck and safe journey!