HOUSTON — As NASA's Artemis II astronauts hurtle back toward Earth aboard the Orion spacecraft, the agency on Friday released a video compilation celebrating the "Moon joy" — an intense happiness and excitement unique to lunar missions — that the four-person crew has experienced during humanity's first crewed voyage around the Moon in more than half a century.

The 87-second video, posted by NASA's official X account, blends stunning external views of the white Orion capsule silhouetted against the cratered lunar surface with intimate zero-gravity scenes inside the spacecraft. Crew members float weightlessly, laughing with heads thrown back, hair fanning out in microgravity and faces lit with wide grins. Overlaid text reads "MOMENTS OF MOON JOY." The clip ends with a brief appearance by NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya and the agency's iconic logo.

The post defines "Moon joy" simply: "the feeling of intense happiness and excitement that only comes from a mission to the Moon." It adds, "The Artemis II crew bring us endless Moon joy."

Moon joy [noun]the feeling of intense happiness and excitement that only comes from a mission to the MoonThe Artemis II crew bring us endless Moon joy. pic.twitter.com/7vrS1lLd0C— NASA (@NASA) April 10, 2026

Moon joy [noun]the feeling of intense happiness and excitement that only comes from a mission to the MoonThe Artemis II crew bring us endless Moon joy. pic.twitter.com/7vrS1lLd0C

The timing is deliberate. With splashdown scheduled for approximately 8:07 p.m. EDT Friday off the coast of San Diego, the video serves as both a victory lap and a farewell to the deep-space portion of the 10-day test........

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