NASA's "Artemis II" mission astronauts completed their journey around the Moon on Monday and have embarked on their return to Earth.
Medianews.az, citing "Qafqazinfo", reports that the four-person crew of the "Orion" spacecraft reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth, setting a new record in the history of human space flights and surpassing the record set by "Apollo 13" in 1970 by more than 4,000 miles.
The crew were the first humans to see some parts of the Moon's far side with the naked eye. The spacecraft approached as close as 4,067 miles to the Moon. An approximately 40-minute communication blackout occurred on the far side of the Moon as planned, but contact was restored at 19:24.
After communication was restored, the astronauts observed a total solar eclipse. Astronaut Victor Glover described the moment, saying it "just looked unreal."
U.S. President Donald Trump held a live connection with the crew on Monday night, calling them "pioneers of the modern era" and emphasizing that they "inspired the whole world."
The mission has entered the return phase to Earth, and the crew is expected to land on Friday at 20:00 near San Diego, off the coast of California.
