NASA's Artemis II travels farther from Earth than any humans
NASA's Artemis II crew just made history, traveling farther from Earth than any humans before.
After launching on April 1, 2026, the Orion capsule did a dramatic loop around the moon, the first time that has happened in more than 50 years.
The mission used Lockheed Martin's Orion capsule and Boeing's Space Launch System rocket.
Artemis II crew tests Orion systems
Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canada's Jeremy Hansen were on board, making this the first team to fly around the moon in more than 50 years.
Their main job was to put Orion through its paces in deep space before future missions.
Even with a surprise smoke detector alarm midflight, Commander Wiseman said Orion proved it can handle what comes next.
NASA is now aiming for a human moon landing by 2028 and even plans for a lunar base, plus viewers tuned in to those stunning eclipse photos from space!