06/04/2026
Grandmother Moon
I’m not particularly good with poignant words, but felt I needed to try and say how beautiful this Artemis II mission feels to me. I believe space travel and any type of exploration, done without harm to others, is fundamental to the spirit of our species. It shows what wonderful things we can do when we focus on curiosity. In stark contrast to the current leaders of the USA, the three US astronauts on Integrity are humble, full of wonder, emotionally intelligent, dedicated and inspirational (the other astronaut is Canadian). I never get tired of seeing Christine Koch’s beaming smile and it is wonderful to see a woman finally present and amongst the first humans to travel the furthest away from the Earth. Victor Glover, has spoken of the difficulties he experienced growing up due to the colour of his skin and overcoming imposter syndrome. I admire his seriousness and strength.
I’ve just watched a truly touching live moment where the astronauts ask NASA to name two newly discovered/created craters; Integrity Crater (after the Orion spacecraft) and Carroll Crater after the Commander, Reid Wiseman’s wife who passed away several years ago.
Finally, Jeremy Hanson spoke of his interactions with his Indigenous mentors in Canada and how the moon is known as Grandmother Moon who watches over the waters and women of the Earth.
I will always refer to the moon as Grandmother from now on.
