Astronaut Christina Koch and her fellow astronauts aboard the Artemis II crew mission said they didn’t know about the worldwide impact of their moon mission.
Koch – who is a graduate of NC State University – NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen answered media members’ questions on Thursday at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
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“What we were told, really, through talking with the couple times with our families was that there was an impact … but that there was a positive impact that it was superseding any lines, any identities that people had,” Koch said.
Koch added, “When my husband looked me in the eye on that video call, and said, ‘No, really. You’ve made a difference,’ it brought tears to my eyes, and I said, ‘That’s all we ever wanted.’”
Wiseman said each astronaut had two chances to call their families from outer space.
“For me, that’s one of the most lasting impacts of this mission was listening to your friend and crewmate go into this other world with this headset on for 15 minutes and giggle and laugh and everyone of us cried. I mean, nobody [got] through one of those things without crying,” Wiseman said.
The Artemis II crew splashed down Friday evening off the coast of San Diego after completing a nearly 10-day journey.
“The difference now is when we come before you now, we’ve done this together,” Koch said. “We took your hearts with us, and your hearts lifted our hearts.”
The Artemis II mission took the astronauts 252,756 miles from home at their farthest distance from Earth.
“When you look down at your display and you can see 212,000 miles [away] and the miles are increasing, your awareness is heightened the whole time,” Wiseman said.
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Koch acknowledged that before the mission, the crew received recognition for something they hadn’t done.
“We did what we said we’re going to do,” Glover said.
Wiseman acknowledged how he hasn’t fully grasped what the Artemis II crew accomplished. He noted how the crew members have undergone medical and physical testing.
“It’s very hard to fully grasp what we just went through,” Wiseman said. “We have not had that decompression. We have not had that reflection time.”
Hansen added his experience since coming back from outer space, “I kept seeing that same thing and that same feeling, small and powerless, but yet powerful together.”
Koch said she’s slept great since returning to Earth.
“Every time I’ve been waking up, or in the first few days, I thought I was floating,” Koch said.
Before the Artemis II mission, Koch set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with 328 days in space and participated in the first all-female spacewalk. Koch spent from March 14, 2019, to Feb. 6, 2020, aboard the International Space Station.
Koch said she’s tried to see if objects will float in front of her since returning to Earth. She said she’s welcomed the return of gravity.
“Space sleep is the best sleep ever,” Koch said. “It’s so peaceful, so comfortable and to have a little bit of that after our mission was over so quickly has been really special.”