On Apr. 1, 2026 astronomical history was made yet again. The National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) launched Artemis II with commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. But why is this such a big deal and why have these four astronauts stolen the hearts of thousands? These four astronauts are literally seeing parts of the moon that are hidden from us here on Earth! Quite “amaze amaze amaze” (If you know, you know)
To be put in perspective, the last time that we have sent humans to the moon was all the way back in 1972 with NASA’s first Apollo mission during the space race. With so many technological advancements happening since the 1970s, we now have the opportunity to make astronomical discoveries. We are living in a time that kids will learn about in school.
These four astronauts are the first to see the side of the moon that faces away from the Earth in person and be able to take beautiful photos of it with the modern technology and cameras we have today. They are in fact going further than any human has gone before (252,756 miles away) and marks a key point to NASA reexploring deep space.
Despite this news making space nerds freak out, Marvel fans also noticed something quite fantastically similar. If you know anything about famous superheroes, then you are sure to know the Fantastic Four. Fans online keep buzzing about the similarities between both the fictional superheroes and our heroes in space.
The Fantastic Four gained their super powers from a space mission with the goal of deeper space exploration which is exactly what the main purpose of the Artemis II mission is for, minus the superpowers. There are more similarities such as a ratio of three men to one woman and both the Fantastic Four leader and the Artemis II commander share the name “Reid” We just have to hope that the astronauts don’t meet Galacutus.
Thankfully, no leaky space blobs have been found on the astronauts trip but that does not mean the “Project Hail Mary” quotes are stopping. “Project Hail Mary” is a science fiction novel written by Andy Weir about a man named Ryland Grace who wakes up on a random ship but gains the realization that the stake of humanity is in his hands. (Highly recommend adding it to your TBR)
The novel grew in popularity after a movie adaptation starring Ryan Gosling was announced. Of course when you have a space related film and a huge astronomical milestone occurring along the same timestamp, cheesy references are expected. Which is why if you tune into the Artemis II livestream, there are some moments when the crew is reporting back to Houston where you can hear some Artemis II contributors say “Amaze, amaze, amaze” which is a reference to a famous quote from the people’s favorite alien, Rocky.
Laughs were spilled but hearts were also stolen during this trip. The Artemis II crew realized that there was a crater on the moon that was unnamed, and it is a common fact in the science world that when you discover something that no one has found before, you have the full right to name it.
Without hesitation, Commander Reid named the crater after his late wife, “Carroll” who died from breast cancer. The name submission will be formally submitted to the IAU, who are in charge of names related to anything celestial, once the astronauts return to Earth.
The astronauts are planned to successfully be back on earth on Apr. 10, 2026 along the California coast, concluding their 10 day mission. With their return, there will be open gates for deeper space exploration, inspiring a countless number of people from all over the world and deservingly enough, being in history books.
