As the Artemis II mission begins its return from deep into space — now over halfway through its historic journey — the mission is marking a new chapter in human exploration.
Operated by NASA, the crewed flight has captured global attention not only for its technical ambition but also for its human moments. Among them, a moving message sent back to Earth in celebration of Easter and honoring the late wife of a crew member offered a reminder that even amid the vast silence of space, themes of hope, renewal, and faith continue to resonate across the cosmos.
On April 4, a CBS News reporter asked mission pilot Victor Glover if he had a message to share ahead of Easter. The astronaut — who took his Bible into space — shared a powerful reflection on the beauty of creation.
"As we are so far from Earth and look back at, you know, the beauty of creation — I think for me, one of the really important personal perspectives that I have up here is I can really see Earth as one thing," Glover said. "And when I read the Bible and I look at all of the amazing things that were done for us … you have this amazing place, this spaceship."
He added: "You guys are talking to us because we're in a spaceship really far from Earth, but you're on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe, in the cosmos. Maybe the distance we are from you makes you think what we're doing is special, but we're the same distance from you. And I'm trying to tell you — just trust me — you are special."
Referencing the Earth, the astronaut said: "In all of this emptiness — this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe — you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together."
"I think, as we go into Easter Sunday, thinking about all the cultures all around the world, whether you celebrate it or not, whether you believe in God or not, this is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing, and that we've gotta get through this together."
On April 6, Glover also reminded those on Earth about the greatest commandment Christ left us — to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor.
Moments before the crew lost communication with Earth as the spacecraft went behind the moon, Glover said: "As we get close to the nearest point to the moon and farthest point from Earth, as we continue to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos, I would like to remind you of one of the most important mysteries there on Earth, and that's love."
"Christ said, in response to what was the greatest command, that it was to love God with all you are," he added. "And he also, being a great teacher, said the second is equal to it. And that is to love your neighbor as yourself."
Glover has been very open about his Christian faith. Ahead of the Artemis II launch, he shared that Jesus is the answer to the world's problems, saying: "We need Jesus — whether here on Earth or orbiting the moon."
In another heartfelt moment, Artemis mission specialist Jeremy Hansen shared a message proposing possible names for two unnamed craters on the moon's surface. The first name was "Integrity" — to honor the name of their spacecraft — and the second was "Carroll" — to honor the late wife of Artemis commander Reid Wiseman.
Instagram post< async defer src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js">
He called the proposal of naming a crater Carroll "especially meaningful for this crew."
"A number of years ago we started this journey, in our close-knit astronaut family, and we lost a loved one," he shared.
Hansen explained that at certain points in the moon's transit around Earth it can be visible from Earth.
"It's a bright spot on the moon and we would like to call it Carroll," he said, choking on tears.
Carroll Taylor Wiseman died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 46.
The Artemis crew is scheduled to make their return to Earth by splashing into the Pacific ocean on April 10.
