Oprah and the Artemis II Crew: To the Moon and Back

The Oprah Podcast

Harpo

Society & Culture

4.2 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 12 May 2026

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

After their extraordinary, history-making trip around the moon, Oprah has an in-depth conversation with the crew of Artemis II: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. From launch to landing, the Artemis II astronauts captured the world’s attention while offering a message of unity and hope from space. The crew shares how they were transformed after spending more than nine days traveling farther into space than any human being has ever been and how seeing the Moon and Earth from space changed their perspectives on life itself. Oprah talks to the astronauts about their jaw-dropping photographs, plus the emotional impact and iconic moments they experienced. They’ll also talk about what it was like to train together for years, the conversations with family about putting their lives at risk, and the stellar team on the ground that guided the mission. Their outstanding character, indomitable spirits and remarkable camaraderie shine through. 00:00:00 - Welcome the crew of Artemis II 00:03:40 - Re-entry to regular life 00:07:00 - The journey back to earth 00:09:40 - Life-altering experience 00:10:50 - How they were selected for Artemis II 00;12:48 - Naming the moon crater 00:17:02 - Watching the Earth set 00:19:50 - Talking to the Chaplain upon landing 00:21:20 - A defining moment 00:24:10 - Piloting Artemis II 00:25:20 - Being at ease with not knowing 00:25:50 - Is there other life out there? 00:28:20 - Being comfortable with being uncomfortable 00:33:30 - The crew was not ready to return 00:34:30 - Christina Koch’s message to girls 00:36:20 - Staying humble 00:40:00 - Discussing death with family 00:44:00 - Discussing death with the crew 00:47:30 - Suits can keep you alive for 6 days 00:50:04 - Training not to panic 00:54:50 - Representing humans in space 00:58:30 - In the hatch after landing 00:59:58 - Message from Reid’s daughter 01:01:40 - The guilt of pursuing your dream 01:03:40 - What they want to share with the world Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ Listen to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, hello.
0:01.0	How are you?
0:03.0	Hi, Jeremy.
0:04.0	Lovely to me you.
0:05.0	I, oh my God.
0:06.0	Hello, hello, hello.
0:08.0	I have waited my whole life for this.
0:10.0	Guess who's on the podcast this week?
0:13.0	Artemis Toe.
0:15.0	I lost my mind.
0:18.0	I can't wait till that's posted.
0:20.0	That's my ringtone.
0:22.6	Hi, everybody on the planet Earth.
0:26.6	It's such an exciting day around here in my backyard.
0:30.6	You know, I remember just being 15 years old,
0:35.6	and I was watching the first moon landing
0:39.3	and hearing Neil Armstrong say,
0:42.3	That's one small step for man, one giant leap for manned.
0:48.3	And at the time, I couldn't even believe it.
0:51.3	I remember standing in my aunt's house, and they're like, are they really on the moon? I don't know. Are they really on the moon? Yes, they were on the moon. So now over five decades later, the Artemis two astronauts have returned to Earth after making their own history. Here's a quick look at that remarkable, remarkable journey.
1:12.6	For the first time in nearly 54 years,
1:15.6	Artem 2 crew is go for launch.
	...

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