Whereas, on April 3, 2023, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Canadian Space Agency announced their selection of the 4-person crew for the Artemis II mission;

Whereas Pilot Victor Glover, Commander Reid Wiseman, NASA Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen were announced as the Artemis II crew by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson during his state of NASA address;

Whereas Pilot Glover hails from Pomona, California, is a graduate of Ontario High School, is a Navy veteran who supported Operation Iraqi Freedom during the final deployment of the USS John F. Kennedy, and is the first Black astronaut to travel to the Moon;

Whereas Commander Reid Wiseman is a Baltimore native, served as the 17th Chief of the Astronaut Office, and is a Navy veteran who operated F-14s during Middle East operations;

Whereas Mission Specialist Cristina Koch was raised in Jacksonville, North Carolina, embarked on the first all-female spacewalk, and became the first woman to travel to the Moon’s vicinity;

Whereas Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen comes from Ontario, Canada, launched his aviation career with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets at age 12, and is the first non-American to travel to the Moon;

Whereas the esteemed crew of Artemis II launched from the Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026, on a Space Launch System rocket;

Whereas the astronauts commenced a 10-day lunar flyby before returning to Earth;

Whereas the crew of Artemis II successfully demonstrated humanity’s return to the Moon for the 1st time in more than 50 years;

Whereas Artemis II traveled 252,756 miles from Earth, being the farthest distance humans have ventured;

Whereas, on April 10, 2026, the crew of Artemis II splashed down off the coast of San Diego; and

Whereas this historic lunar flyby opens the doors for future lunar surface landings: Now, therefore, be it