HUNT VALLEY, Md. (TNND) \u2014 The Artemis II astronauts expressed love for their families on Thursday.<\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with the Canadian Space Agency\u2019s Jeremy Hansen, shared their appreciation in messages to their children and other relatives.<\/p>\n
Wiseman, the mission\u2019s commander, spoke first about his love for his daughters in response to an invitation by a U.S. lawmaker to address them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just wanna look at my daughters, Ellie and Katey, and just say I love you, and their support has been unbelievable,\u201d Wiseman said. \u201cI don\u2019t think they knew what this mission really meant when we launched, but they have learned through the outpouring of public support, their friends\u2019 support and family\u2019s support.”<\/p>\n
Glover, the pilot of the Orion spacecraft, shared encouragement for his four daughters. He said he and his wife, Dionna, are transitioning from coaching their kids to cheerleading for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cGenesis, Maya, Joia and Corinne, as we are on our way back from this dream of a mission, your mom and I look forward to supporting you chasing and catching your own dreams,\u201d Glover said.<\/p>\n
Koch, who shares mission specialist duties with Hansen, noted that it felt like her nine nieces and nephews were with her during the mission, which will end Friday night. Hansen told his kids that he learns as much from them as they learn from him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one thing I\u2019d remind you and I think is worth reminding ourselves and other youth is that all you have to do on any given day is just get up and do your best and try to find joy in your day and try to contribute in a meaningful and positive way,\u201d Hansen said.<\/p>\n
The astronauts will return to Earth around 8 p.m., splashing down off the coast of San Diego. They departed from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida last week for a mission <\/a>to evaluate the Orion\u2019s performance in deep space.<\/p>\n