Louise Thompson Calls Artemis II Mission a Hoax

Louise Thompson has revealed she believes the historic space mission was a 'wild hoax,' despite the entire voyage being livestreamed online.

On Friday, astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, finished a ten-day mission that carried them around the moon and farther than any human had ever travelled into space before.

The team safely touched down in the Pacific Ocean after a smooth return to Earth, with many fans praising the awe-inspiring moment.

However, Louise has now taken to Instagram Stories to question whether the mission truly took place.

She also questioning the legitimacy of some of the snaps of the splashdown, no doubt fuelling those who have questioned the 1969 moon landing and whether it was also a hoax.

Louise is currently away on a weekend retreat with her fiancé Ryan Libbey and their son Leo, as well as her brother and his girlfriend Talitha Balinska. 

She wrote: 'I just had a one hour nap and it was delicious. I happened to see something about the Artemis space mission when I woke up, and I can't help but think that it's all a wild hoax.

'I'm sorry but photos of part of the rocket landing in the Pacific just look a little,' followed by a confused emoji.'

The NASA crew behind the mission received a standing ovation on Saturday as they returned to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas, to speak out for the first time after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

Wiseman, the Artemis II commander, kicked off his remarks noting that the crew is 'bonded forever.'

'No one down here is ever going to know what the four of us just went through. It was the most special thing that will ever happen in my life,' Wiseman said.

He grew emotional as he explained how it was difficult being hundreds of thousands of miles away from Earth, but that the crew enjoyed the experience with each other.

'Man, this was not easy being 200,000 plus miles away from home. Like before you launch, it feels like it's the greatest dream on Earth. And when you're out there, you just want to get back to your families and your friends,' he said.

'It's a special thing to be a human, and it's a special thing to be on planet Earth.'

Koch added that she and crewmates are 'inescapably, beautifully, dutifully linked' after their mission to fly by the moon.

'This is the furthest I've been from Reid in a long time,' Canadian Jeremy Hansen teased as he spoke at the press conference.

Hansen said the crew embodied love 'and extracting joy out of that' as the four joined together to stand in a row, embracing one another.

'When you look up here, you're not looking at us. We are a mirror reflecting you. And if you like what you see then just look a little deeper This is you,' he said.

After being picked up from the Orion crew module and flown to the USS John P Murtha by helicopter, the history-making space explorers were greeted by cheering onboard crowds.

They returned to Earth late Friday night, landing off the coast of California after ten days in space.   

It comes after last week  shared an emotional update on her health woes, as she continues to recover from post-traumatic stress disorder.   

She is currently in therapy for her PTSD  - with her latest victory coming with her returning to Antigua two years after she was forced to cut short a trip to the island to have her colon removed.

She was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in 2018 and in April 2024, was fitted with a stoma after falling ill during the trip to Antigua, where she was losing significant amounts of blood, could not walk or hold her son, and had to book an early flight home.

Now, Louise proudly revealed she has returned to the traumatic spot with son Leo, four, and her partner Ryan, saying: 'This was a beautiful opportunity to re-write those memories in better health'. 

Alongside a lengthy caption detailing her emotions, Louise cosied up to her son while also sharing stunning scenery snaps showing the pair by the water.

In the caption, she wrote: 'I don't know where to begin but Antigua is very, very nice. I actually came out here 2 years ago but the trip was cut short because I had to fly back home to have my colon removed after reaching fulminant ulcerative colitis...

'This was a beautiful opportunity to re-write those memories in better health. If you've listened to the pod you'll know I was a little anxious in the run up...

'Travelling with ptsd can be hard. I experience major dissociation on day 2 when my brain panics post travel day (routined) when I suddenly have a lack of routine, but newsflash, I haven't felt bad ONCE in the almost two weeks that we've been here...

'I feel like I've turned a major corner in my recovery and I'm unimaginably happy about it. I hope this lil update provides hope to anyone going through the wringer atm. I have ALL the serotonin coursing through my body. No aids... 

'Just movement, sunlight, seafood, happy thoughts, sleep. Lots of it. Oh and little to no screen time. My family are archaic so practically surviving on iPhone 6's and proper maps in the car...

'In case you didn't know 90-95% of serotonin is produced in the gut so it's unsurprising that when I was physically unwell for all that time my mental state was absolutely cooked...

'It also affects digestion and clotting and lots of other important processes. I'm going off on a tangent but I feel like I want to do some research around what happened to me re: ssri's, gut health, digestion, bleeding, the nervous system because they're all interconnected… and I still bleed in weird places....

'Yes places I can see. Just not where I should as a woman once a month. It's a minefield. Anyway a few years ago I thought I'd never enjoy travel again but here we are like a totally normal family...

'I won't lie, I have a few safety nets to lean on. I think that's being sensible. I brought an armoury of lotions and potions, probiotics, magnesium balm, soaks, tea bags and things to make me feel like I am at home...

'Including a newfound dream cream for fissures. Who ever thought I'd be saying those words. Is it the air pressure? Last time I was here I basically had a prolapse so it's all up from 2024. I think it all helped.'

Last month, Louise shared an emotional letter to her stoma bag, two years after having the bag fitted while undergoing a life-saving procedure.

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic bowel condition where the colon and rectum become inflamed and small ulcers develop on the colon's lining, which can bleed.

A stoma is a surgically-created opening made on the abdomen, which is made to divert the flow of body waste into a medical device, which the person can then empty.

She named her bad 'Winnie' in a nod to Winnie The Pooh.