I shouldn’t admit I wasn’t excited by the Artemis II mission, even though the TV was telling me I should be. I was unable to escape the coverage though, and I ended up with a few takeaways I hadn’t expected.
Bridging Entertainment and Inspiration
Even though I wasn’t enthralled, I became impressed that so many people genuinely were impressed! It turns out that the hype was real, and many of my friends were talking about watching the coverage and tracking the milestones. Who knew? My takeaway: maybe we aren’t all as jaded as we sometimes feel.
Fostering Imagination and Innovation
While watching an evening news broadcast, I saw an interview with the crew soon after they landed. I hadn’t sought it out, but I was glad I heard it. The excitement and joy they experienced was readily apparent. My takeaway: watching others fulfill their dreams can remind us of our own childhood innocence and aspirations.
Camaraderie and Comedy
That day was also when the floating Nutella jar was trending, so the crew was asked: whose spread was that? Their answer was simple: it was ours. They did not single out one person, nor did anyone exclaim, “not mine.” Instead, the interviewer himself remarked on how they took ownership as a team. My takeaway: the most successful projects are always those accomplished through camaraderie and commitment. Plus, being able to laugh about something is nice too.
Next up, Artemis III is planning a lunar landing. Will I be watching? Maybe. Will you?
“Capturing the Details of the Moon and the Beauty of Earth – (April 6, 2026) As the Artemis II crew came close to passing behind the Moon and experiencing a planned loss of signal, they captured this image of a crescent Earth. Seen from afar, it almost looks like a circular arc – except when backlit, as in other images captured by the Artemis II crew. Earth is in a crescent phase, with sunlight coming from the right. The dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime. On Earth’s day side, swirling clouds are visible over muted blue in the Australia and Oceania region. Credit: NASA” [For photo, See PDF or View in Full Issue.]