Artemis II crew on historic moon mission and what it means for Earth

CBS Evening News Artemis II crew on historic moon mission and what it means for Earth: "We can do amazing things" .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-evening-news.jpg'); } By Tony Dokoupil Tony Dokoupil Anchor, "CBS Evening News" Tony Dokoupil is the anchor of the new "CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil." He previously served as co-host of "CBS Mornings" and anchored "The Uplift," a weekly series spotlighting positive and inspiring stories for CBS News 24/7. Read Full Bio Tony Dokoupil April 16, 2026 / 8:16 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google It's been a little less than a week since the Artemis II crew splashed down off the coast of San Diego, and as the four astronauts adjust to life back on Earth, they've also had time to reflect on the scope of their trip around the moon, what their favorite parts of the mission were and what it all meant.Speaking with "CBS Evening News," commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, and pilot Victor Glover, shared vivid memories of seeing the striking features of the moon up close."For me, it was the terminator," Glover said of his favorite part of the mission, referring to the barrier between night and day on the moon. He spoke about how the transition from light to dark highlighted the topography of the moon in a way he wasn't expecting. "I could have spent just the entire time describing that part," he said.Koch said the best thing she saw was the outline of the mountains of the moon on its horizon."Because there's no atmosphere, you could see the outline of terrain, you could imagine yourself climbing it, adventuring and exploring there, it was truly awesome," she said.Hansen, meanwhile, described what he said looked like a "handprint" on the far side of the moon, telling CBS News, "Reid and I spent a lot of time talking about this handprint on the backside of the moon."For Wiseman, it was seeing a solar eclipse from space. "It was the most u...