Tales of Artemis II's journey ’round the moon

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Artemis II Special: The long road to liftoff; Jules Verne's spacefaring vision ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
The Conversation

After 10 days of charming those tuned into social media and the NASA livestream with their scientific excitement and “moon joy,” the Artemis II crew returned to Earth with a splash on Friday evening.

During the course of their mission, the crew of four set records for the farthest that humans have ever traveled from Earth and for the first space-to-space call – when they chatted with the International Space Station. They took breathtaking photos: of Earth setting over the lunar horizon, of the Moon eclipsing the Sun, and of sides of the Moon that had never been seen with human eyes. The mission brought planetary geologists new images of the surface to study, NASA engineers new data about the performance of the launch system and crew capsule, and a slew of goofy, emotional and deeply human moments from the crew.

As the space editor for The Conversation U.S., I started working on Artemis II stories as far back as December 2025. Our authors wrote about everything from this mission’s salience in the context of space law and international relations to the decades of history that brought this crew to the launchpad, to how Artemis II parallels ideas described in a seminal science fiction novel from over 150 years ago.

For my latest story, Jennifer Levasseur, curator of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, described how the photos the Artemis II crew took tell the story of their journey around the Moon and give spaceflight a new, clean look.

“While the Artemis II photos have similar timeless, classic elements to the Apollo photos, better photographic tools give them a clean, crisp vibe,” she writes. “Space travel post-Artemis II now looks more like many people may imagine it’s supposed to look: grand, adventurous, audacious, sublime.”

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Mary Magnuson

Associate Science Editor
NASA astronaut Christina Koch gazes at Earth on April 2, 2026, taken with an iPhone 17 Pro Max. NASA

Artemis II crew used modern photography to tell the visual story of their lunar journey – and update some classic Apollo images

Jennifer Levasseur, Smithsonian Institution

A space historian explains how the Artemis II crew reimagined some Apollo-era photos and found spectacular new angles.
The ‘Earthset’ photo from the Artemis II crew’s lunar flyby in April 2026. NASA

Artemis II moonshot reflects a spacefaring vision present in Jules Verne’s 19th-century novel

Anastasia Klimchynskaya, Illinois Wesleyan University

Going to the Moon isn’t just about science. Novelist Jules Verne predicted some of the societal ramifications modern lunar missions are creating today.
The Artemis I crew and service modules with the Moon and Earth in the distance on Nov. 28, 2022. NASA

Artemis II’s long countdown – a space historian explains why it has taken over 50 years to return to the Moon

Emily A. Margolis, Smithsonian Institution

NASA’s Artemis II mission took decades of policymaking, engineering and financial support.

NASA’s Artemis II plans to send a crew around the Moon to test equipment and lay the groundwork for a future landing

Margaret Landis, Arizona State University

Several robotic spacecraft orbiting the Moon can take detailed pictures of its surface, so why send people around the Moon? A planetary geologist explains the benefits.

NASA’s Artemis II crewed mission to the Moon shows how US space strategy has changed since Apollo – and contrasts with China’s closed program

Michelle L.D. Hanlon, University of Mississippi

Today, there aren’t just two countries competing to get to the Moon. More countries have space programs, and private industry plays a larger role.

The science behind splashdown − how NASA got the Artemis II crew safely back on Earth

Marcos Fernandez Tous, University of North Dakota

Safely landing a spacecraft that’s falling from the sky very quickly is easier said than done.

From Artemis II to ‘Project Hail Mary’, spaceflight captures audiences when it centers on people because human space travel is hazardous

Scott Solomon, Rice University

Space is extremely dangerous, but people can still do more than robotic explorers can – in terms of technical achievements and inspiring public interest.

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