Stephen Colbert interviews the Artemis II crew for Yuri's Night

Happy Yuri's Night AKA International Day for Human Space Flight! As I wrote seven years ago, this is the day of the year when I celebrate the promise of space. I'm celebrating this year by sharing Stephen Colbert interviewing the Artemis II crew, beginning with Why We’re Going Back to the Moon - NASA’s Artemis II Moon Mission Astronauts.

The crew of NASA’s Artemis II moon mission, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, join Stephen Colbert to discuss how they’re preparing for their mission, and why they have their sights set on Mars as the next frontier for human exploration. Stick around for more with the Artemis II crew!

That's a great statement of purpose from the commander along with fun and informative responses from the rest of the crew. Stephen helped by asking good questions in the middle of geeking out over the astronauts.

Stephen and the Artemis II crew returned in The Overview Effect: Seeing Earth with the Whole Universe in the Background.

Christina Koch, appearing with her Artemis II mission crewmates Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen, tells Stephen about the flood of emotions that can accompany an astronaut’s view of Earth from space, a sensation that is known as The Overview Effect.

I think this was a successful PR appearance for the astronauts and they deserved their "mission patches" from "The Late Show" for a job well done. Now, for the actual mission next year.

I conclude with Artemis II: Meet the Astronauts Who will Fly Around the Moon (Official NASA Video).

Four astronauts have been selected for NASA’s Artemis II mission: Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency.

Artemis II will be NASA’s first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft around the Moon to verify today’s capabilities for humans to explore deep space and pave the way for long-term exploration and science on the lunar surface.

I like this video both for its information and its dramatic photography. It works for me!

As I promised, I didn't miss Yuri's Night this year! Now stay tuned for Apophis Day, when I report on the perils of space.