President gives Artemis II crew Congressional Space Medal of Honor
The Artemis II astronauts just got the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, handed out by the president, for their brave journey around the moon earlier this year.
Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and mission specialist and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen were recognized for pushing human space travel further than ever before.
This medal is a big deal in the astronaut world: it's all about honoring courage and service to humanity.
Artemis II traveled 406777km
Artemis II marked NASA's first crewed trip beyond low Earth orbit since 1972. The team set a new distance record, traveling 406777km from Earth, beating Apollo 13's old mark.
Their April mission didn't land on the moon but was crucial for testing tech that'll help with future moon and Mars missions.
The safe splashdown on April 10 capped off a journey that sets up even bigger adventures ahead.