{"id":22367,"date":"2026-04-21T11:50:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T15:50:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=22367"},"modified":"2026-04-21T11:50:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T15:50:57","slug":"astronaut-says-he-broke-down-when-he-saw-the-cross-after-return-from-moon-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2026\/04\/astronaut-says-he-broke-down-when-he-saw-the-cross-after-return-from-moon-mission.html","title":{"rendered":"Astronaut Says He \u201cbroke down\u201d When He Saw the Cross After Return From Moon Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Public Domain | Inset: Americas Navy \/ YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman described being \u201cmoved to tears\u201d while speaking to the Navy chaplain after the crew returned from its mission around the moon. Wiseman described the moment during a press conference where the team offered its first thoughts on their historic mission. The team had been taken for medical evaluation after landing, where Wiseman asked to speak with the chaplain. \u201cI\u2019m not really a religious person, but there was just no other avenue for me to explain anything or to experience anything, so I just asked for the Navy chaplain to come visit us for a minute. When that man walked in \u2014 I\u2019d never met him before in my life, but I saw the cross on his collar, and I just broke down in tears,\u201d he said during the conference. \u201cIt\u2019s very hard to fully grasp what we just went through.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mission brought the astronauts into space further than any person has ever traveled, going to the far side of the moon and witnessing a solar eclipse. Wiseman described the eclipse as \u201cotherworldly.\u201d \u201cSo, I’m basing this on what we saw,\u201d said Wiseman. \u201cAnd when the sun eclipsed behind the moon, I think all four of us … I turned to Victor [Glover], and I said, \u2018I don\u2019t think humanity has evolved to the point of being able to comprehend what we\u2019re looking at right now because it was otherworldly.\u2019\u201d He said the team still hadn\u2019t really had time to process everything they\u2019d seen.<\/p>\n

Artemis II pilot Victor Glover<\/a> has made headlines for his Christian faith. He called the visit with the chaplain \u201ca really special moment.\u201d \u201cI was in the bed right across when the chaplain came in, and the only thing I would add is I am a religious person, but everything else is the same,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is something in there, and as we start to process, I’ll have to tell you next week, but I haven’t had a chance to really unpack it all yet.\u201d The mission took place over Easter Sunday, which Glover marked with an Easter message<\/a> to Earth during their trip. Fellow astronauts Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen also marked the occasion with Easter messages.<\/p>\n

Wiseman\u2019s story has been especially touching as he went on the mission six years after his wife, Carroll, died after a five-year battle with cancer. Prior to her death, Carroll had worked as a school nurse. Her death left Wiseman a single dad of two daughters. Prior to the mission, Wiseman discussed the sober reality of planning for his daughters should he not return from the mission. \u201cI went on a walk with my kids, and I told them, \u2018Here\u2019s where the will is, here\u2019s where the trust documents are, and if anything happens to me, here\u2019s what\u2019s going to happen to you. That\u2019s just a part of this life,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

During the mission, the team named one of the Moon\u2019s craters in honor of Carroll. Wiseman called it \u201cbeautiful.\u201d \u201cI thought it was the most beautiful thing I\u2019d heard in my entire life. She was an amazing human being, and she\u2019s the mother of my two daughters,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd what man on this planet deserves a gift like that \u2014 to have your crew be so thoughtful and to do something so caring and so deep and so meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman described being \u201cmoved to tears\u201d while speaking to the Navy chaplain after the crew returned from its mission around the moon. Wiseman described the moment during a press conference where the team offered its first thoughts on their historic mission. The team had been taken for medical evaluation after landing,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":22379,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-messages"],"yoast_head":"\nAstronaut Says He \u201cbroke down\u201d When He Saw the Cross After Return From Moon Mission<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Artemis II\u2019s Reid Wiseman shares an emotional moon mission return, Easter reflections, and a moving tribute to his late wife.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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