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Record-breaking Artemis II crew returns to Kennedy Space Center
AP News • • science
Key Points:
- The Artemis II astronauts reunited with their capsule at Kennedy Space Center three months after their historic lunar fly-around, marking humanity's first trip to the moon in over 50 years.
- Commander Reid Wiseman and his crew, including Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen, set a new distance record of 252,756 miles traveled during the mission.
- Public enthusiasm remains high, with Wiseman sharing a personal encounter where a passenger thanked him for inspiring hope and joy about space exploration.
- The upcoming Artemis III mission, scheduled for next year, will involve Earth orbit docking practice with lunar landers developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin, followed by Artemis IV aiming for a moon landing by 2028.
- Christina Koch expressed support for NASA's crew selection process, emphasizing merit over appearance, while Jeremy Hansen announced plans to leave the Canadian Space Agency but continue supporting Artemis as a reservist.
