Taking time out to send Easter greetings down to Earth, the four Artemis 2 astronauts closed in on the moon Sunday, already seeing unexpected detail on the surface and giving scientists a taste of things to come during a pass over the lunar far side Monday evening.
Artemis 2 commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch also presented “astronaut wings” to Canadian crewmate Jeremy Hansen, making his first space flight, before getting down to work carrying out planned tests of new Artemis pressure suits.
But first, Koch passed along Easter greetings to flight controllers, saying “we wanted to take a minute to commemorate the holiday.”
“This time of year is something that many religions and many cultures hold dear,” she said. “It’s a time of emotions such as joy, as well as solemnness, honoring what’s going on both in our world and in our religious beliefs.
“Another aspect of that is our family tradition. And I know for me, if I was on the Earth right now, I would be with my family in Houston and we would be hiding confetti eggs in the backyard and watching two very sweet little girls go try to find them.”
