NASA’s Artemis 2 mission has made history by sending humans around the Moon for the first time in nearly five decades, and the astronauts aboard have now started their return journey to Earth. This mission marks a major milestone in human space exploration, following the Apollo missions of the 1970s.

The four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft set a new record for traveling the farthest distance from Earth by humans in space. On April 6, the spacecraft spent six hours orbiting the Moon, allowing the crew to observe regions of the lunar surface that are not visible from Earth.

This is the first time since the Apollo missions that astronauts have reached lunar orbit. During the mission, the crew surpassed the previous record of 248,655 miles set during Apollo 13 in April 1970, ultimately covering over 252,000 miles from Earth.

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, part of the Orion crew, described the experience of orbiting the Moon: “I am seeing the Moon with my own eyes; it’s unbelievable.” His remarks reflect the awe-inspiring nature of this deep-space journey and the historic significance of the mission.

As part of their lunar observations, the astronauts named two previously unnamed craters on the Moon. One crater was named Integrity, after the Orion spacecraft capsule itself, and the other was named Carol, in memory of mission commander Reid Wiseman’s wife, who passed away from cancer in 2020.

It’s important to note that Artemis 2 did not include a lunar landing. The spacecraft orbited the Moon continuously without stopping, with the primary goal being to test spacecraft systems and conduct scientific observations in lunar orbit.

This mission represents a critical step in NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon and eventually enable sustainable lunar exploration. By completing the first crewed lunar orbit in over 50 years, Artemis 2 has set the stage for future missions, including Artemis 3, which is expected to land astronauts on the lunar surface.