The midweek newsletter is going to be all about the Artemis II flyby—sorry, no dog/cat stuff!

So last week I was like a dripping tap about Artemis II launching with my colleagues at school and with my students. Honestly, I started weeks before, but I was sending (spamming) my science teaching friends with updates about everything. By Wednesday, everyone was showing the LIVE countdown—which happened after school.

Then on Monday, on Kris’ birthday, the flyby of the Moon happened.

I was completely swept up in the moment. To be fair, I haven’t gotten to know the other astronauts beyond their names as much as our Canadian guy, Jeremy Hansen. I have been delighted to learn more about them. Victor Glover (the pilot) has been to space before (for over 160 days), and his family is just so proud of him.

You’ll notice they have a Rottie! I haven’t been able to find the name of the dog.

Christina Koch has gone viral for her super fun personality and her absolutely JACKED arms. Plus, she has spent more time in space than the other three men combined.

Reid Wiseman is the commander and has a ton of experience being a leader. More on his family in a bit.

Finally, we get to Jeremy Hansen—a physics genius and a Canadian. I can’t really explain to anyone not Canadian how big of a deal it is that one of our citizens went to the Moon. Seeing our flag in space has been such a POWERFUL symbol in our country.

We are a very polite and somewhat quiet bunch, but one thing that may surprise people is just how patriotic we are and how quickly we unite as a country. Canada has been working with NASA since the 1960s, building robotic systems that have been indispensable for space exploration, and we are incredibly proud of Jeremy.

He is the best of us and a great ambassador.

So, as the Moon got closer and closer on Monday, Jeremy Hansen was talking to NASA about naming craters. One was named for their capsule, Integrity, after the crew’s name for the Orion spacecraft they were riding in. The other… wow.

Jeremy’s voice broke as he explained that they wanted a crater—a bright spot on the Moon—to be named after Carroll, Reid Wiseman’s late wife. Carroll died in 2020 after a five-year battle with cancer. Oh my god. I was crying. It was something I didn’t know a deeply personal and private part of their lives that the crew, who have trained together for years, would be intimately aware of.

The astronauts all broke down crying, and they came together for a hug in space.

NASA sent the right people. Yes, they are brave and accomplished, but above all else, they share a deep humanity. It shines through every time they speak and interact.

The photos the crew took are breathtaking.

The whole day, as the Moon grew larger and the images started to come in, filled me with awe and wonder.

That’s literally what science strives for, understanding things that fill us with wonder.

Watching Artemis II has stirred something deep in me that was asleep about space. Ironically, it had started to stir after I read Project Hail Mary. It has been a mix of awe, pride, and a quiet kind of hope that’s hard to put into words. Seeing humans return to the Moon after more than fifty years doesn’t just feel like a scientific achievement; it feels like a reminder of what we’re capable of when we choose to explore, to wonder, and to reach beyond ourselves.

I don’t have to remind everyone that there is a very terrible things happening all over the world with wars. It’s gross and makes me sick.

That noise is loud and it drowns out just the good humans can do.

It’s been 50 years, before I was even alive, since humans got that close to the Moon.

For everything governments spend money on—and yes, this was very expensive—I’m glad my tax dollars went toward our part in getting astronauts back to the Moon.

And with luck and hard work, in 2028, someone will walk on the Moon again.

We hope Artemis II lands safely on Friday.

Here are some of the photos from NASA.