NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Artemis II went where no man, or woman, has gone before on a historic trip around the dark side of the moon on Monday, and the crew did it with pilot Victor Glover making an urgent plea for divine help.
“Please ask, how did you feel when you could not speak?” President Donald Trump asked in a call hosted by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman from mission control in Houston that “Integrity,” the team’s chosen name for the Orion capsule. “Suddenly not talking to each other: Your most special place has obviously been cut off; how did you feel when you didn’t talk to each other? A little different maybe.”
“Yes, Mr. President, it was,” Glover replied. “I said a little prayer, but I had to keep rolling.”
The prayer was quick, because when things got dark, the workers had to get to work during a 45-minute communication breakdown.
NASA’S ARTEMIS II CREW COMMITS TO THE MOON AFTER A BAD HEAT SENDS ORION INTO DEEP SPACE.
The Moon is seen from the camera outside the Orion spacecraft after the Artemis II astronauts made the longest human-traveled pass from Earth on April 6, 2026. (NASA)
“I was actually recording scientific observations on the far side of the moon,” Glover continued. “You know, that was the time when we were so far away and so close to the moon.
“And we were able to really examine the far side of the moon up close. So we’ve been busy up here working hard. And I have to say, it’s been pretty cool.”
NASA ADMINISTRATOR JARED ISAACMAN SAYS ARTEMIS II WOULDN’T SERVE ‘IF NOT FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP’
Before going to bed on the fifth day of the flight, the Artemis II crew captured another image of the Moon, as it approached the Orion spacecraft window. (NASA)
Trump lowered his lungs on what he saw.
“Did you notice the difference, the big difference between the far side of the moon and the near side of the moon?” Trump asked. “Is there a difference in feeling or a difference in looking, what did you see?”
The lack of light “really changed the way you look at things,” said Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, noting that the far side looks very different from the near side, with very few dark patches visible on Earth.
HUMANITY’S GIANT LEAP: AMERICA’S SPACE EDGE IS AT RISK AS ARTEMIS II OBSERVES THE MOON
“Earth’s gravity has had a huge effect on the near side of the moon, changing all those dark spots, those dark areas of the moon that you see on Earth. It’s very different on the far side.
“While you see the little spots of those mare and deep craters, there aren’t too many on that side. So that’s really neat.”
Hansen also took a moment to thank Trump on behalf of Canada, a country that has had a testy relationship with Trump.
This image from a video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew, from left, Canadian astronaut and mission technician Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, mission technician Christina Koch and pilot Victor Glover as they speak to NASA Mission Control in a video conference en route to the moon, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (NASA via AP) (NASA)
NUTELLA GETS BIGGEST FREE ADVERTISING TIME IN HISTORY WITH NASA MOON MISSION
“And while I have the microphone, sir, I want to thank you on behalf of Canada: The leadership in space that you talked about from America is really amazing,” Hansen said. “I have said this many times before, a nation that leads like that and creates and sets great goals for humanity, bringing other countries along with it, is truly amazing.
“And I know that’s a deliberate decision, not a necessary one, a deliberate decision to lead by example and allow other countries like Canada to share our gifts and help you achieve these mutually beneficial goals, like establishing a presence on the moon and eventually going to Mars.
“And Canadians are proud to be a part of this program.”
TRUMP HYPES MOON MISSION AS ARTEMIS II PREPARES TO TAKE OFF BELOW PRESSURED FROM PAST FAILURES.
Trump spoke with Canadian hockey player Wayne Gretzky and said the country is proud of Hansen’s heroism.
“They’re proud of you, and you have a lot of courage,” Trump said. “I’m not sure they’d want to do that. I’m not sure Grandfather would want to do that, to be honest with you. But you have a lot of courage to do what you’re doing, a lot of bravery and a lot of intelligence. But they’re very proud of you.”
Astronaut VICTOR GLOVER CREDITS AS MOON MISSION IS ‘HUMAN HISTORY,’ NOT ‘BLACK HISTORY’
President Donald Trump’s breakup with Jared Isaacman (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images, Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Mission expert Christina Koch talked about seeing Earth again after a power outage and the importance of US leadership in deep space exploration.
“One of the highlights was coming back from the moon and being able to see planet Earth again, after being out of contact for about 45 minutes,” said Koch, the first woman on the moon, who already holds the record for the longest space flight by a woman (328 days) and was part of the first all-female space mission.
“It really just reminds you that we have a special place and how important it is for our nation to work, lead and not follow in deep space exploration.”
Commander Reid Wiseman told Trump that the crew saw visions that were first seen by humans, including the solar corona during a solar eclipse and planets lined up beyond the moon.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
“We saw a helmet that no one had ever seen, not even on Apollo, and that was amazing to us,” Wiseman said. “And then the surprise of the day, just coming out of the eclipse, the moon – the whole dark moon almost as big as the one we were looking out the window – we saw the corona of the sun, and then we saw the train line of the planet, and Mars.
“And we all remarked how much we enjoyed watching this nation, and this planet become a kind of two planets.”
