Artemis IIs moon-traveling astronauts return home to cheers after a record-breaking trip
In this photo provided by NASA, from left, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Christina Koch, mission specialist; CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; and NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, right, pose for a group photo after viewing the Orion spacecraft in the well deck of USS John P. Murtha, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)2026-04-11T20:50:17Z HOUSTON (AP) Still marveling over their moon mission, the Artemis II astronauts received a thunderous welcome home Saturday from hundreds who took part in NASAs lunar comeback that set a record for deep space travel. The crew of four arrived at Ellington Field near NASAs Johnson Space Center and Mission Control, flying in from San Diego where they splashed down just offshore the evening before. After a quick reunion with their spouses and children, the astronauts took the hangar stage, surrounded by space center workers and other invited guests. The crowd included NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, flight directors and the launch director, Orion capsule and exploration system managers, high-ranking military officers, the space agencys entire blue-suited astronaut corps and even retired ones, and more. Welcome home Artemis II, Isaacman announced. Commander Reid Wiseman and his U.S.-Canadian crews homecoming was poignant: They returned to their Houston home base on the 56th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 13, whose Houston, weve had a problem refrain turned a near-disaster into triumph. During Artemis IIs nearly 10-day mission, they voyaged deeper into space than the moon explorers of decades past and captured views of the lunar far side never witnessed before by human eyes. A total solar eclipse added to the cosmic wonder.On their record-breaking flyby, the astronauts reached a maximum 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers) from Earth before hanging a U-turn behind the moon, eclipsing Apollos 13 distance record. Read More The mission also revealed a new side of our planet with an Earthset photo, showing our Blue Marble setting behind the gray, pockmarked moon. The image echoed the famous Earthrise shot from 1968 taken by the worlds first lunar visitors, Apollo 8. Despite the accomplishments, Artemis II astronauts had to contend with a more mundane problem a malfunctioning space toilet. NASA promised a design fix before longer moon-landing missions. Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadas Jeremy Hansen were the first humans to fly to the moon since Apollo 17 closed out NASAs first exploration era in 1972. Twenty-four astronauts flew to the moon during Apollo, including 12 moonwalkers.Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell who also flew on Apollo 8 cheered the Artemis II crew on in a wake-up message recorded before he died last summer.It was crucial for NASA that Artemis II go well. The space agency is already preparing for next years Artemis III, which will see a new crew practice docking its capsule with a lunar lander in orbit around Earth. That will set the stage for the all-important Artemis IV moon landing in 2028, when two astronauts attempt a touchdown near the lunar south pole.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site
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