"Once again, humanity's footprints are imprinted on the lunar soil, but this time, we come to conquer,"
Standing before the Presidential Palace Lawn, John, backlit by the setting sun, delivered a televised address to the nation.
It was now 18:00 Central time on the 23rd. One hour ago, Origin carried two Artemis III astronauts to a successful Moon landing, and they performed an extravehicular activity within five minutes.
"The Moon is our closest ally, a stepping stone for humanity to reach space or even farther realms, a frontier for expanding into space. It holds vast resources waiting for our exploitation, just like San Francisco in 1830, a land laden with treasure..."
John's speech, grandiose and impassioned, coupled with the intermittent switching to various highlights of spaceflight, was very impactful, immersing television viewers in the experience.
However, McMaster, who was offscreen, kept getting distracted, staring intently at the sunset that served as John's backdrop.