Mike Waltz gives the crew of Artemis II MAGA-inspired hats as they contemplate the mission
The Artemis II crew, after returning to Earth after a historic 10-month flight, spoke to the US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, describing the mission as “glorious”.
The crew – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen – returned to Earth on April 10, splashing off the coast of San Diego after their trip around the Moon where they set a new record for the longest distance traveled by humans in space, surpassing the mark set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
Waltz presented the staff with “MUNGA,” or “Make the UN Great Again” hats, inspired by President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.
The crew was asked by Waltz what they were thinking as they looked back at Earth from space.
ARTEMIS II PILOT VICTOR GLOVER PRAISES GOD AFTER RETURN, SAYS ‘TOO BIG TO BE IN ONE BODY’
The Artemis II crew hugs during a welcome home ceremony on April 11, 2026. (KRIV)
“As a group, we wanted to do our best,” Wiseman said at UN headquarters in New York. “And we wanted to set the stage for Artemis III. We wanted to make this space station in this world ready for Artemis III and IV. But ultimately, we really wanted to connect with humanity. We wanted humanity to pause and see that this world can still do something extraordinary when they put their minds to it.”
Artemis III is expected to launch next year, while Artemis IV is slated for the following year.
“You asked what it was like, and it wasn’t a single feeling on purpose,” Glover told Waltz. “What we saw through the window was changing, and that’s one of the unique things … I always had a sense of gratitude for what we saw, and gratitude for what we eventually came back to. And another thing is how blessed we are to have this.”
Koch said that when he looked back at Earth, the surrounding darkness made the planet feel “more special than ever.”
Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Artemis II mission technician Christina Koch, Artemis II pilot Victor Glover and Artemis II mission technician Jeremy Hansen look over the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square in New York City. (Adam GRAY / AFP via Getty Images)
“Instead of this perfect background that’s all over the place for us, because that’s all we had, it makes the lines we’re redrawing on seem bigger and more important,” she said. “You realize that in reality, there is nothing absolute or guaranteed about this, and that in reality, there is such a thing as a global scale. And this is the first time I have said that to the UN, but the truth is that the global scale is our world. And what we do with it is our decision.”
Hansen described the experience of seeing the vastness of space and feeling both small as a person and empowered by what humanity can achieve together.
“It was like this strange thing where, like the stars, some stars seem to be closer in our galaxy than others. And it just kept catching my eye, and it just kept making me feel really small, really small as a person. But then, at the same time, I was there in the face of it, and it made me feel so much stronger as a human race. What we can do together, the fact that we started there and started to warm our hearts from where we started and reconciled with the Earth. Look how many people stop to look at these machines and hear about them again,” he said.
Glover also recalled many emotions tied to the mission, including the “glorious moment” of returning to Earth.
ARTEMIS II FACED TOILET PROBLEM LIKE NO ONE ON THE MOON
Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen flank President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
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During his visit to the UN, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman wanted to take a moment to appreciate how far they have come, noting that it was not long before Trump launched the Artemis program that led to the work of Artemis II.
“In fact, just in 2020, President Trump established the Artemis Accords. Now, the first draft was an agreement of principles between the United States and seven other like-minded countries regarding responsible space exploration,” he said.
The staff visit to the UN comes after meeting with Trump at the White House on Wednesday. Trump also spoke to the crew as they circled the moon in early April.
