The majesty of the cosmos is often portrayed as a silent, spiritual experience—a moment of profound clarity where the insignificance of human conflict becomes apparent against the backdrop of the void. But in a recent sketch on Saturday Night Live, the show reminded audiences that even the most historic voyages are subject to the indignities of living in a metal tube with three other people.
The SNL Artemis II sketch centered on Victor Glover, the mission pilot, played by host Colman Domingo. In the scene, Glover attempts to record a series of earnest, soul-searching messages for the people of Earth, hoping to articulate why science remains a vital spark for human inspiration. However, his efforts are relentlessly undermined by his crewmates, who have succumbed to the particular brand of boredom that comes with a ten-day journey around the moon.
The comedy stems from the jarring contrast between the nobility of the mission and the mundane chaos of zero-gravity life. As Glover looks out the window, awestruck by the sight of his home planet, he tells the camera, “Being a man of faith, this has certainly brought me closer to God.” The moment of transcendence is immediately shattered when a can of Pringles drifts slowly into the frame. An exasperated Glover can only groan, “Oh come on, guys. You’ve got to Velcro your snacks to the wall!”
The Friction of Space-Crazy Realities
The sketch leans heavily into the “stir-crazy” nature of long-term confinement. While the Artemis II mission represents the pinnacle of NASA’s lunar exploration goals, the show highlights the gritty, unglamorous side of the experience. In the sketch, astronauts Jeremy Hansen (played by Marcello Hernández) and Commander Reid Wiseman (played by Mikey Day) are depicted not as stoic explorers, but as bickering roommates.
The tension peaks during a fight over the aforementioned Pringles can, with Hansen teasing Wiseman, “Finders keepers, you loser!” When Glover pleads for them to stop messing around so he can record his thoughtful video, Hansen’s response is a blunt admission of the psychological toll of the voyage: “It’s Day 9, and we’re just kinda bored, okay?”
The humor eventually descends into the “prurient” territory that has fascinated the public since the early days of the space race: the logistics of hygiene in orbit. The sketch features Wiseman marveling at a sneeze that has frozen in place—a stream of goo hanging from his nose—and a chaotic interruption from Hansen, who bursts in complaining, “My pee-pee’s stuck in the tube again!”
Science in an Era of Cynicism
Beyond the bathroom humor, the sketch serves as a commentary on the current cultural climate. The writers contrast the Artemis II era with the Apollo 11 mission of 1969. While Neil Armstrong’s “one giant leap for mankind” provided a beacon of unity during the turmoil of the Vietnam War and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., the modern mission operates in a far more fractured information environment.
The sketch highlights this shift through Glover’s failed attempts to quote legendary astronauts. When he reads a line from Jim Lovell—“We do not realize what we have on Earth until we leave it”—the profundity is cut short by the sight of Christina Koch (played by Sarah Sherman) floating across the screen, fast asleep and “un-Velcroed.” A later attempt to quote Sally Ride about the fragility of existence is similarly interrupted by Koch bobbing by with a Harry Potter lightning bolt doodled on her face.
This tension between aspiration and distraction is mirrored in the broader political landscape. The sketch arrives at a time when scientific expertise has faced significant challenges and public trust has been eroded by “gullicism” and conspiracy theories. This was punctuated during the “Weekend Update” segment, where Michael Che joked that the crew had actually returned from a trip “around a Hollywood soundstage,” a nod to the enduring myths surrounding the original moon landings.
The Enduring Power of Awe
Despite the pranks and the “pee-tube” jokes, the underlying message of the sketch—and the mission itself—is one of resilience. The reality of the Artemis II voyage suggests that while the political environment may be turbulent, the capacity for science to inspire awe remains intact. Social media feeds following the crew’s return were filled with genuine celebration, including viral posts from Glover’s own daughter, signaling that the public’s appetite for exploration has not been entirely consumed by cynicism.
The sketch concludes with one final attempt at a message from Glover. “My one hope for everyone on Earth is this—” he begins, only to be interrupted once more by Hansen and Wiseman zooming by with the bathroom equipment. Realizing the futility of the moment, Glover simply says, “Video over. Everyone, be kind to each other.”
By blending the high-minded goals of the Artemis II crew with the relatable clumsiness of human nature, SNL suggests that the most inspiring part of space travel isn’t just the technology or the destination—it’s the fact that humans, in all their messy, bored, and flawed glory, are the ones going.
NASA continues to prepare for the next phases of the Artemis program, with future missions aimed at establishing a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface. Official updates on crew training and launch windows are available via the NASA Artemis mission portal.
Do you think the human side of space travel makes it more inspiring, or does the “messiness” take away from the achievement? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
