‘It’s a special thing to be on Planet Earth’: Artemis crew welcomed home in Houston

‘It’s a special thing to be on Planet Earth’: Artemis crew welcomed home in Houston

NASA’s Artemis II astronauts—Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen—concluded their nine-day journey around the Moon with a return to Earth. The crew was celebrated in a Houston gathering, where Wiseman expressed his personal sentiment about the mission.

“The most special thing I’ve ever experienced in my life,” he remarked.

The event marked the first time all four astronauts had reunited with their families after completing the historic voyage, which set a new record for human distance from Earth. Meanwhile, the White House saw a separate focus as the first lady addressed claims linking her to a late convicted sex offender, asserting that any such associations “need to end.”

Elsewhere, a warehouse fire left no injuries but destroyed stock of toilet paper and paper towels. A volcano active since December 2024 continued its intermittent eruptions. The BBC’s Ione Wells engaged with attendees outside the Supreme Court during discussions about President Trump’s executive order, while Gary O’Donoghue conversed with an Alabama farmer enduring financial strain yet backing the president.

Meanwhile, the National Mall hosted an installation titled “A throne fit for a king,” critiquing Trump’s White House redesigns. NASA introduced a “universal waste management system” for the Artemis II mission, designed to handle waste during launch, landing, and emergencies. Training for the crew began at the Johnson Space Center in 2023, following their selection.

Large protests against the Trump administration, including the third “No Kings” rally, drew crowds nationwide. At Tampa’s airport, delays persisted due to TSA agents working unpaid during a partial government shutdown. Conservatives at Texas’s CPAC conference displayed mixed views on the economy. The Great Marshmallow Drop event saw over 15,000 treats released from a helicopter, sparking a race among children to collect them.

Jasveen Sangha received a 15-year prison sentence for distributing drugs linked to the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry. Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty to the murders of eight women on Long Island between 1993 and 2010. A homeowner in Tampa discovered a nine-foot alligator in his pool area, which was later removed by a specialist.