NASA's Artemis II Moon Crew Joins America's 250th Birthday Celebrations

NASA's Artemis II Moon Crew Joins America's 250th Birthday Celebrations

NASA Apollo astronaut Harrison "Jack" Schmitt, left, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist, right, during the “Salute to America” event, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The United States Semiquincentennial celebrates the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, commander; left, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and Victor Glover, pilot, right, along with members of the Jr. Nats Kids Club, are seen as they give the call to “play ball” at the beginning of a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Nationals, Saturday, July 4, 2026, at Nationals Park in Washington.

Artemis II astronauts: Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist, left, NASA astronauts Christina Koch, mission specialist; Victor Glover, pilot; and Reid Wiseman, commander, right, celebrate as they throw the ceremonial first pitches before the start of a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Nationals, Saturday, July 4, 2026, at Nationals Park in Washington.

Artemis II astronauts; Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist, left, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; and Christina Koch, mission specialist, right, pose for a photograph with Nationals jerseys before the start of a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Nationals, Saturday, July 4, 2026, at Nationals Park in Washington.

NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, fist bumps an audience member after participating in a panel discussion during the Great American State Fair, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, participates in a panel discussion during the Great American State Fair, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, participates in a panel discussion during the Great American State Fair, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, participates in a panel discussion during the Great American State Fair, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

See images of NASA's Artemis II Moon crew members during the United States’ 250th birthday activities in Washington, DC, on July 4, 2026. 📷

NASA's Artemis II Moon Mission took NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a nearly 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth.

The Orion spacecraft successfully splashed down on Friday, April 10, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean following its journey around the Moon.

The first crewed test flight of NASA’s Artemis Program lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1, 2026, carrying the first astronauts to travel to the Moon in more than half a century. 

The crew completed a record-setting lunar flyby, taking them 252,756 miles at their farthest distance from Earth and 4,067 miles above the lunar surface at their closest approach. 

Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Learn more about NASA's Artemis II Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Image Credits: NASA/Keegan Barber/Bill Ingalls
Date: July 4, 2026

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