The Rational Optimist
Artemis II Astronauts Complete Record-Breaking Lunar Orbit and Return
On April 12, 2026, the four-person crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission safely splashed down after a 10-day lunar flyby, marking the first time humans have returned to the vicinity of the Moon in over 50 years. During the mission, the Orion spacecraft reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing the previous record set by Apollo 13. The crew, including Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, captured high-resolution imagery of the lunar far side to aid future base construction.
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