| In this week’s newsletter, relive highlights from the Artemis II mission as the crew — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen — return to Earth after their record‑setting journey, and learn how to watch Northrop Grumman CRS‑24 resupply mission to the International Space Station. |
| ARTEMIS Artemis II Crew Return to Earth  |
| The first astronauts to travel to the Moon in more than half a century are back on Earth after a record-setting mission aboard NASA’s Artemis II test flight. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen splashed down at 8:07 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 10, off the coast of San Diego, completing a nearly 10-day journey that took them a record setting 252,756 miles from home at their farthest distance from Earth. “Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy, welcome home, and congratulations on a truly historic achievement. NASA is grateful to President Donald Trump and partners in Congress for providing the mandate and resources that made this mission and the future of Artemis possible,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Artemis II demonstrated extraordinary skill, courage, and dedication as the crew pushed Orion, SLS (Space Launch System), and human exploration farther than ever before. As the first astronauts to fly this rocket and spacecraft, the crew accepted significant risk in service of the knowledge gained and the future we are determined to build. NASA also acknowledges the contributions of the entire NASA workforce, along with our international partners, whose expertise and commitment were essential to this mission’s success. With Artemis II complete, focus now turns confidently toward assembling Artemis III and preparing to return to the lunar surface, build the base, and never give up the Moon again.” During their mission, Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen flew more than 694,481 miles in total. Their lunar flyby took them farther than any humans have ever traveled before, surpassing the previous distance record set by Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970. With the crew safely on Earth, NASA and its partners now will turn attention to preparing for Artemis III, when a new Orion crew will test integrated operations with a commercially built Moon lander in low Earth orbit. LEARN MORE |
 | ARTEMIS Artemis III The Artemis III mission will launch astronauts in the Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System rocket to demonstrate the rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and the commercial spacecraft needed to land crew on the lunar surface. MISSION OVERVIEW |
| ARTEMIS Capturing a Lunar Flyby The first flyby images of the Moon captured by NASA’s Artemis II astronauts during their historic test flight reveal regions of the Moon’s far side, as well as an in-space solar eclipse. Released Tuesday, astronauts captured the images on Monday, April 6, during the mission’s seven-hour flyby, showing humanity’s return to the Moon’s vicinity and opening a trove of scientific data. VIEW IMAGES |  |
 HUMANS IN SPACE Space Station Resupply Beginning at 7:20 a.m. EDT on Saturday, April 11, NASA will provide live launch coverage of the agency’s Northrop Grumman CRS‑24 resupply mission to the International Space Station. Filled with approximately 11,000 pounds of science investigations, supplies, and equipment, the Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL spacecraft, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. LEARN MORE |  HUMANS IN SPACE Delivering Science Along with supplies and equipment for the Expedition 74 crew, NASA’s Northrop Grumman CRS‑24 resupply mission will deliver a range of scientific investigations to the International Space Station that advance knowledge and technology in support of the Artemis program. These investigations include a study of blood stem cell production in microgravity to generate larger numbers of therapeutic cells, as well as research examining how spaceflight affects the relationship between organisms and their gut microbiome.LEARN MORE |
| In Case You Missed It |
 | Teams across NASA are capturing the story of Artemis by recording mission activities—from interviews with subject-matter experts to behind-the-scenes audio during launches, testing, and operations. The Artemis Audio Library will continue to grow as new mission audio becomes available. Recordings include launch and mission operations sounds, ambient and environmental audio, and other field recordings from Artemis I, Artemis II, and related activities. |
 | While the Artemis II astronauts were the first humans to test NASA’s Orion spacecraft in space, they also conducted scientific investigations that will support future deep space missions — including the AVATAR (A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response) experiment, which used organ‑on‑a‑chip devices to study how increased radiation and microgravity affected human health. |
 | The four astronauts of Artemis II flew around the Moon and back — and NASA’s Curious Universe podcast took you along for the journey. Artemis II was a pivotal test flight that paved the way for future landings at the lunar South Pole and the establishment of a long‑term presence there. Learn more about the teamwork, passion, and problem‑solving driving humanity’s return to the Moon in this limited series. |
| Do You Know? |
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| The Artemis II crew has returned from their historic mission around the Moon, becoming the first four astronauts to complete a lunar mission in the 21st century. During their lunar flyby, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen made detailed observations of the Moon’s far side and had the opportunity to view portions of the Moon that had not previously been seen by human eyes. |
| Including the Artemis II crew, how many astronauts traveled around the far side of the Moon? A. 7 B.15 C. 28 D. 38 |
| Find out the answer in next week’s NASA newsletter! |
 | Last week, we asked who took the Earthrise photo that inspired the design of the Artemis II zero‑gravity indicator, “Rise.” The answer: William A. Anders. Anders was one of the first three astronauts to travel to the vicinity of the Moon during the Apollo 8 mission. Here, Anders recalls the moment he captured the famous image of Earth rising above the lunar horizon on December 24, 1968. |
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