Artemis Two: Record-Breaking Moon Flyby & Perilous Re-entry

0:00This has been Europe news today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Artemis. Two crew is racing home after humanity's first moon fly by in over 50 years, now less than 150,000 miles from Earth. They hit a record distance of 252,756 miles out, the farthest any humans have gone. Pilot Victor Glover says they've got tons of data, pictures, and stories coming back with them. Here this week, while hidden behind the moon, Commander Reed Wiseman called it surreal, being cut off from everyone for nearly an hour. The team also caught a total solar eclipse as the moon blocked the sun, which Glover described as one of the greatest gifts despite dimmer lunar views. From their April 1st launch, the astronauts are buzzing about Friday's reentry fireball into the atmosphere at over 23,820 miles per hour. It's as risky as launch, with mission control watching the heat shield closely after damage on the last uncrewed test.

1:00NASA tweaked the capsule's descent to cut heat exposure from 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, skipping a full shield replacement. Recovery teams on the USS John P. Murther are ready off San Diego. First joint NASA defense ops since Apollo 17. As they wrap this 10-day mission, official stress getting the crew's blast down safe is the final big hurdle, paving the way for Artemis III. During practice, an eventual moon landings by 2028.