Artemis II crew: 'We left as friends - we came back as best friends'

Artemis II crew: 'We left as friends - we came back as best friends'13 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GooglePallab Ghosh,Science correspondent,Alison Francis,Senior Science Journalist,Kevin ChurchandEmily SelvaduraiWatch: Artemis II crew describe splashdown and dreaming of floating since returnThe four astronauts of Artemis II say their mission gave the world a sense of hope and unity at a time when both feel in short supply. At their first Nasa news conference since returning last Friday, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen said they left as friends and came back as something closer - bound by an experience that no earthly language can fully contain. More than the technical milestones, the mission reminded them of what being human actually means: laughter, joy, tears, and an instinct toward one another that transcends borders. And their message was clear: Landing on the Moon is not the distant dream it once seemed."We wanted to go out and try to do something that would bring the world together, to unite the world," Wiseman told reporters at Nasa's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "We were certainly hooked on this mission, but when we came home, we were shocked at the global outpouring of support, of pride, of ownership of this mission... we want to thank the world. Thank you for tuning in." He singled out the Orion spacecraft - named Integrity - and the Space Launch System as a symbol of what international partnership can still produce. "Thank you to every single person that had a hand in building that machine," he said, "because it was a magnificent machine." NASA/Bill IngallsNASA's Space Launch System rocket carries the Artemis II crew into orbit and then toward the MoonArtemis II carried its crew further from Earth than any humans have ever gone, swinging around the far side of the Moon in just over nine days. Victor Glover became the first black astronaut to reach dee...