Artemis II Astronaut Says Moon Trip Taught Him to Miss Earthlings

Artemis II astronaut Victor Glover says the strongest feeling of his trip around the moon was not awe at the view but a longing for other people. He also argues that anyone can find a version of that perspective without leaving the ground, according to Space.com.

Glover spoke on Oct. 18 at the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife, Canary Islands, in a discussion with former astronaut Chris Hadfield, Space.com reported.

What Glover said he missed most

Glover told the audience that the best reason to go to space is not to play the daring hero. He said it is to join the small group of people, which he put at 651, who have been able to "miss Earth and miss other Earthlings."

He described a paradox of the journey. The farther the crew traveled from humanity, he said, the stronger his desire to connect with it. He called that moment one of ultimate disconnection paired with a longing for connection.

Glover also said he believes that if everyone on Earth could make the same trip, people would respond in similar ways. In their own languages, he suggested, they would speak in the simplest terms about love, joy, hope and inspiration.

The mission behind the remarks

Artemis II launched on April 1, 2026, and was the first crewed trip to the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, according to Space.com. Glover flew with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Space.com reported that the crew traveled farther from Earth than any humans before them.

As the Orion spacecraft passed behind the far side of the moon, the crew watched Earth sink below the lunar horizon and then lost radio contact with it. Around 40 minutes later, Earth came back into view as the spacecraft emerged from behind the moon.

Glover recalled looking back at a planet so distant that his hand could cover everyone who has ever lived. He said he wished everyone could feel what it is like to come home after that kind of separation.

From the overview effect to the sea level effect

Astronauts often talk about the overview effect, a deep shift in outlook that can come from seeing Earth from space. Glover said a similar shift is available much closer to home. A festival attendee asked whether people need an extraordinary experience to become kinder, and Glover said no.

He urged people to look closely at the natural world, whether by walking on a beach, watching the ocean or holding a leaf up to sunlight. A leaf turns sunlight into food through photosynthesis, he noted. Science can explain how, he said, but the explanation does not make the process less remarkable. People, he added, have to choose to be moved by such things.

Glover worries that constant technological distraction makes it easy to overlook what is around us. He said familiarity does not only breed contempt, as the old saying goes, but indifference. He calls the alternative the sea level effect: finding the wonder and connection astronauts describe in orbit here on Earth, where most people live.

Why it matters for people who will never fly in space

Only a handful of people will ever travel to the moon, and Glover's main point is aimed at everyone else. He argues that the experience that changed him is not exclusive to astronauts. In his telling, it is a habit of attention that ordinary people can practice by noticing nature and the people around them.

He applied the idea to daily life as well. He said there are moments when he rushes through traffic out of selfishness, but that he does not have to stay in that mindset. The remarks are one astronaut's personal reflection rather than research, and Glover did not present them as a scientific finding.

He said the hardest place to see wonder is in other humans, whom he called the greatest miracle in the universe. People tend to smile at babies, he said, but once they are old enough to hold opinions, they start arguing with one another. He hopes that appreciating the natural world might make people a little more willing to appreciate each other.

Glover said that this is the mission he wants to be part of for the rest of his life.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by Space.com