The Earth is in turmoil but on Artemis II, no borders are visible

April 9, 2026 — 4:04pm

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NASA’s Artemis II spacecraft is due to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off California on Saturday morning, ending a 10-day mission to the moon that should have brought heavenly joy to the heart of humanity.

Back on Earth, we’ve been distracted by joyless events that cast shadows on the light and dark sides of the moon.

We had not been there since the Apollo program ended in 1972, three years after Apollo 11 landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. The following day the Herald’s front page headline was reverent in its simplicity: “MEN ON MOON U.S. astronauts open a new era for........

© The Sydney Morning Herald