By Tim Binnall
Attentive television viewers watching the return of the Artemis II crew on Friday evening spotted an unexpected 'guest' welcoming the astronauts home: an inflatable green alien. The 'otherworldly visitor' was reportedly seen 'waving' from a window of the USS John P. Murtha, a Navy transport ship where the four history-making spacefarers were taken after splashing down in the waters off the coast of San Diego. Screenshots of the surprising alien soon went viral online, with many expressing amusement at the presence of the little green figure.
Discussing the ET's backstory with Good Morning America, Navy propulsion division officer Mike Gallagher explained that he and his crew had "jumping and waving at some of our shipmates" from the window, while waiting for the Artemis astronauts to arrive. It was then that they noticed their inflatable companion. "We saw the alien in the room with us," Gallagher said, "and realized that would be a really cool thing to do, have it waving at everybody out there who was working on the mission."