Artemis II Breaks Record, Moon Mission Kicks Off

0:00The Artemis II crew just smashed humanity's farthest from Earth's record, topping Apollo 13's 248,600. 55 miles by over 4,100 miles during their lunar flyby. This four-person team-three Americans in one Canadian is on NASA's first crewed moon mission since Apollo 17 back in 1972. Looping around the far side for killer views, no one's seen up close before. They're riding a free-return trajectory, same-smart path Apollo 13 used after that oxygen-tang blue, slingshotting with Earth and moon gravity. To save fuel. The six-hour highlight has their Orion capsule whipping within 4,070 miles of the lunar surface before you turn back home, splashing. Down in the Pacific on Friday, after four more days. The astronauts spend years prepping lunar geography, snapping thousands of pics of spots like the massive Orion tail basin with its 600 mile. Rings, Apollo 12 and 14 landing sites, and the South Pole fringe for future boots on the ground.

1:03They'll catch Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, even a solar eclipse from behind the moon, plus Earth rising like an oasis. Crew-made Victor Glover called it a holy week reminder of creation's beauty amid the universe's vast nothing, urging us all to stick together as one. Their moon mentor Kelsey Young says, everyone on the planet connects with the moon. It's universal. This test flight paves the way for Artemis III's docking practice next year and the big South Pole landing on Artemis IV in 2028, firing up the next era of moon exploration. That wraps Vancouver news today. Brought to you with AI.