Artemis II astronauts return to Earth after circling the moon, and the Black pilot is now the first Black man to fly around the moon...By Clevelandurbannews.com, Ohio's Black digital news leader

The crew of Artemis II is the first to visit the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. Clockwise from left: Koch, Glover, Hansen and Wiseman, with Glover the pilot and the first Black man to circle the moon. 

Artemis II launches on April 1, 2026, for outer space

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

 By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher

SAN FRANCISCO, California-The four-member astronaut crew with its Black pilot that took off in the Artemis II rocket-ship on April 1, 2026 as the world watched in amusement, has successfully returned to Earth, landing by parachute on Friday, April 10, at about 8:07 pm off the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco, California, and following a 10-day, historic flight around the moon, the first in more than 50 years since the Apollo launch on Dec. 7, 1972.

Launched by the Soviet Union on Oct. 4, 1957, Sputnik 1 was the world's first artificial satellite, marking the start of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R. Space Race. 

The Artemis II spacecraft launched into space earlier this month with four astronauts aboard: three Americans and one Canadian.  They are Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Commander Victor Glover Jr., and Mission Specialists Christina Koch  (NASA) and Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency). They conducted a 10-day, first-crewed flight around the moon.

Notably, Glover, as the commanding pilot, is now the first Black man to fly around the moon.

"Artemis II is an exciting step forward and a reminder that America's leadership in space is built on decades of innovation, including the extraordinary contributions of Ohioans," said Ohio Congresswoman Emilia Sykes, following the Artemis II launch on April 1. 

Sykes said that Ohio has always been at the forefront of the nation's space age.

"From Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Jim Lovell, and Judith Resnik, to the work happening today at the NASA Glenn Research Center, Ohio has always helped to lead the way," the congresswoman said. 

Key Mission Highlights:

• Record-Breaking Distance: The crew surpassed the Apollo 13 record (
  
  
  
   miles) to become the humans furthest from Earth, peaking over 
  
  
  
   miles away.
• Historic Crew & Flyby: The crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—conducted a lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, passing within 
  
  
  
   miles of the lunar surface.
• Total Solar Eclipse: The crew witnessed and photographed a total solar eclipse, where the Moon fully blocked the Sun for nearly 54 minutes.
• Deep Space Operations: The crew manually piloted the Orion capsule, testing systems while in close proximity to the ICPS stage.
• Observation and Imaging: The crew spent seven hours observing the far side of the Moon, capturing images of uncharted lunar features.
• Diverse Crew & Teamwork: This mission features the first woman (Koch), first person of color (Glover), and first non-US citizen (Hansen) to fly to deep space.
• Safe Return: The mission concludes with a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 10, 2026, overseen by a Navy Dive Medical Recovery Team. 

Following the successful launch of the Artemis II mission on April 1, 2026, President Donald Trump issued several statements praising the achievement as a historic milestone for the United States.

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• Social Media Comments: On Truth Social, Trump declared, "We are WINNING, in Space, on Earth, and everywhere in between — Economically, Militarily, and now, BEYOND THE STARS". He described the mission as a "powerful statement" of America's return to deep space.
• National Address: During a Wednesday night address to the nation, Trump congratulated NASA and the crew, saying, "God bless those four unbelievable astronauts". He highlighted that "America is going back to the Moon" for the first time in over 50 years.
• Message to the Crew: He specifically praised the "brave" crew members—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—for their courage on the 10-day journey around the Moon.
• Future Vision: Trump framed the mission as an "America First" opportunity, expressing hope that it would inspire the next generation and help "bring the country together". 

While he was highly supportive during the launch, he had previously faced some criticism for not mentioning the mission or its crew during his State of the Union address in February 2026, despite the astronauts being in attendance.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com are the most-read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and the Midwest. Tel. 216-659-0473. Email-editor@clevelandurbannews.com.