The Digest:
NASA's Artemis II crew is heading back to Earth after completing a historic lunar fly-by, reaching a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth — farther than any humans in history, surpassing the Apollo 13 crew's 1970 record. The astronauts witnessed a total solar eclipse from space and lost communication with NASA for about 40 minutes while passing behind the moon. Commander Reid Wiseman said they "saw sights that no human has ever seen." Splashdown is expected Friday.
Key Points:
- The mission marks the first crewed flight of NASA's Orion spacecraft.
- It is a key step toward future missions to land humans on the moon.
- The crew broke a 56-year-old distance record set by Apollo 13.
- President Trump commended the crew and invited them to the White House.
- The astronauts spent an hour observing a total solar eclipse from deep space.
