Artemis II astronaut Reid Wiseman recalls the exact moment he “broke down in tears” right after splashdown

At NASA’s Artemis II press conference in Houston on April 16, 2026, Commander Reid Wiseman discussed the moment that moved him to tears after Orion’s splashdown in the Pacific on April 10. He described witnessing the rare lunar eclipse from space: “ When the Sun eclipsed behind the Moon, I think all four of us, I, I turned to Victor and I said, 'I don't think humanity has evolved to the point of being able to comprehend what we are looking at right now.' Because it was otherworldly and it was amazing."