11/04/2026
They didn't land on the Moon. 👀
Last night, the four Artemis II astronauts splashed down in the Pacific off San Diego, ending a 10-day mission — and the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth: 406,771 km, breaking Apollo 13's record.
No landing, by design. Artemis II was a test of the Orion spacecraft, the Space Launch System, and the crew operating both in conditions no simulation can fully reproduce. Every system that held up here is ground the next missions won't have to break.
Along the way: the Moon's far side seen by human eyes for the first time in 54 years, a total solar eclipse witnessed from deep space, and Portuguese cork protecting the heat shield that brought them home.
Victor Glover, from out there: "We are the same thing. We've got to get through this together."
Image Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
Image Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux
Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Image Credit: NASA
Image Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux
