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How the flight of Artemis II brought us together

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by Mark R. Whittington, opinion contributor - 04/12/26 10:00 AM ET

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by Mark R. Whittington, opinion contributor - 04/12/26 10:00 AM ET

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This image from video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew, from left, Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch, pilot Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen as they answer media questions during a video conference Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (NASA via AP)

The crew of the Artemis II have returned to Earth, covered in glory, having splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego. They have returned to a planet riven by war and political division. But their mission seems to have brought humans on Earth together in support and awe of the first voyage to the moon in many decades.

The political class across party lines seemed to be all-in on the mission. While President Trump can be expected to celebrate the launch of Artemis II, since it was his initiative, he was joined by Sen Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and even former President Barack Obama.

Kelly, as a former astronaut, could be expected to wish the crew of Artemis II well, But during Trump’s first term, he opposed the Artemis return to the moon program. Obama had cancelled the previous return to the moon effort, dubbed Constellation, and even ridiculed the idea of returning to the moon in a speech at the Kennedy Space Center.

One might be gracious and conclude the erstwhile opponents of a return to the moon program have had a change of heart. Or, perhaps, being politicians, they have latched onto a newly popular undertaking. The reader can decide.

But what about the public at large? It turns out that Americans have rallied around the Artemis astronauts during their epic voyage around the moon.

In an Ipsos Poll taken before the Artemis II crew soared around the moon, 76 percent of respondents agreed with the statement that “the U.S. space program makes them feel proud.” Moreover, 69 percent described themselves as “excited about space exploration,” and 80 percent had a favorable view of NASA.

The poll also found that 59 percent believe that a long-term presence on the moon is “strategically important” for the U.S.

The launch of Artemis II garnered in excess of 10 million viewers on the official NASA livestreaming channel. Fox News had the highest of the cable news networks with 338,000 viewing the launch. The combination of other news channels and independent live streamers such as the Everyday Astronaut made the launch one of the most-watched live events in recent memory.

KSNV News in Los Vegas noted that, as with the political class, the mission of Artemis II elicited support across the political divide. A poll conducted by the station concluded that mission made 89 percent of respondents prouder to be Americans.

The New York Post noted that the Artemis II mission tapped into the American self-image of a nation of frontiers. The excitement spread beyond American shores, to a certain extent, with a BBC science editor exclaiming, “Oh, my goodness! Oh, my goodness!” as the mission lifted off from the pad.

Then there was young Hilt Boling, at the Kennedy Space Center with his parents to watch the launch. When asked why he was there, he exclaimed, “Because we’re going back to the freaking moon, that’s why!” In a later interview he suggested that the mission made him want to be an astronaut or to own his own aerospace company when he grows up, like Reid Wiseman or Elon Musk — truly a great ambition for a young person who was not only not alive during Apollo, but was born after the last shuttle mission.

How many Hilt Bolings will be inspired to seek employment in the STEM fields? The Artemis II crew made their own messages of unity. Just before Easter, as the moon loomed ahead, Artemis II pilot Victor Glover spoke from his religious faith.

“When I read the Bible and I look at all of the amazing things that were done for us who were created. You’re on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe, in the cosmos,” he said on CBS News.

“You are special, in all this emptiness. This is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe. You have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together.”

As the spacecraft emerged from behind the moon, mission specialist Christina Koch had her own message: “We will explore, we will build, we will build ships, we will visit again. We will construct science outposts, we will drive rovers, we will do radio astronomy, we will found companies, we will bolster industry, we will inspire, but — ultimately — we will always choose Ear