**Artemis Crew Returns: "We Haven't Processed It Yet"**
The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission are back on Earth. They have just completed a journey no human has made in over half a century: a trip to the moon.
The crew returned to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston this week. They were met by loud cheers from employees and their families.
Artemis II will not land on the moon. Instead, the mission will fly around it and return. This critical test flight is scheduled for late 2025. It will pave the way for a future moon landing.
The astronauts are the first people assigned to a lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. After years of training, the reality is now setting in.
"I have not processed what we just did," said pilot Victor Glover. "We are going to the moon. That is a very simple statement, but it is profound."
Commander Reid Wiseman described the team's deep feeling of responsibility. "We are not just four people going on a trip," he said. "We are representing the entire agency and our international partners."
The Artemis program aims to establish a long-term human presence on the moon. NASA plans to land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface on a later mission.