7 mind-blowing tidbits from the Artemis II mission: The first manned trip around the moon in more than 50 years.

The Artemis II mission has made history. For the first time in more than half a century, humans have left Earth's orbit low and flown around the moon. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen spent about 10 days aboard the Orion spacecraft, called Integrity. Here are seven of the most incredible moments and facts from this groundbreaking journey

          1. Record distance.

The crew travelled up to 252,756 miles (approximately 406,771 km) from Earth. This surpassed the previous record set by Apollo 13 in 1970, making it the longest distance any human being has ever walked from our planet.

        2. First human sighting of the moon, from a distant side.

The astronauts saw with their own eyes the huge Eastern Basin — a massive impact crater of approximately 965 km (600 miles) in diameter — along with other formations in transition between the near and far sides of the moon. No Apollo mission allowed humans to see these features directly.

         3. Turn off communications for 40 minutes.

While passing by the Moon, the crew was completely isolated from Earth for approximately 40 minutes. No radio or laser signal could reach them. It was a profound moment of isolation and loneliness in deep space.

     4. Total solar eclipse from deep space.

During the lunar flight, astronauts witnessed a total solar eclipse that Victor Glover described as a feeling of being "real They also captured the stunning Earthset — the vision of the earth slowly falling behind the lunar horizon.

   5. The Orion spacecraft (Integrity).

The capsule flew farther than any previous manned mission and successfully tested advanced life support, propulsion and navigation systems. The European Service Module, provided by ESA, played a vital role in providing energy, water and air throughout the voyage.

 6. Real-time scientific observations .

The crew has identified more than 35 geologic features on the lunar surface, observed color variations that indicated different mineral compositions, and taken dramatic close-up shots of the moon.

      7. A perfect return to Earth.

After nearly 10 days in space, the Orion capsule has re-entered the Earth's atmosphere at over 24,000 mph. He made a precise landing in the Pacific Ocean near the coast of San Diego, California on April 10, 2026.

This information comes mostly from official NASA releases and real-time coverage by the BBC and CNN.