Artemis Two Crew's Historic Lunar Flyby

0:00It's April 7th. This is Europe News Today, powered by AI bringing you what matters across the continent. The Artemis II crew just wrapped up their historic lunar fly-by and kicked off the trip back to Earth, marking the first crewed moon mission in over, 50 years. They hit a new record distance of 252,756 miles from home, topping Apollo 13's mark from 19. 70. During the 6-hour pass behind the moon, they dealt with a 40-minute calms blackout and got as close as 4,067 miles to the surface. The team snapped pro-level shots of the far side, usually out of sight, and caught a total solar eclipse from that killer vantage point. Crew reactions were straight fire. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen called the naked eye views, mind-blowing, and they even got NASA's okay to name too. Fresh craters, integrity for their Orion capsule, and care for the commander's late wife. Waking up to a message from the late Jim Lovell, Apollo 8 and 13 legend, welcoming them

1:02to his old neighborhood, added that epic touch. Now they're using the moon's gravity for a free return burn, just like Apollo 13 did after its crisis, with splash-down set for Friday in the Pacific after four more days. Ground stations like the one in Cornwall have been tracking every move, often in the track This flight sets the stage for actual moon landings next, and even Mars trips down the line, proving America's back in the game since Apollo 17, wrapped in 1972.