Artemis II Astronauts Return After Lunar Flyby

HOUSTON, Texas — The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission returned to Earth on Friday after completing the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years, splashing down safely in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego following a 10-day journey that pushed humanity deeper into space than ever before.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen traveled 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing the Apollo 13 record set in 1970. Launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, their Orion spacecraft executed a slingshot maneuver around the Moon, covering a total of 700,237 miles. The mission marked several milestones: Glover became the first person of color to orbit the Moon, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first non-American. During the voyage, the crew captured thousands of photographs, including unprecedented views of the lunar far side, a total solar eclipse and an "Earthset" image evoking the iconic 1968 Earthrise photo from Apollo 8.

Reentry posed the greatest risks, with the capsule reaching speeds of 24,664 miles per hour and temperatures of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. NASA...