Photo: NASA / Getty Images News / Getty Images
The crew of Artemis II have successfully completed their planned lunar flyby.
On Monday afternoon, the crew passed the closest to the moon of their trip and are now on the final leg of the journey back to earth.
The crew today during the flyby broke Apollo 13's record for farthest distance traveled by humans. All told, the crew will have flown about 252,000 miles from Earth.
There was a brief communication blackout on Monday as the crew orbited on the dark side of the moon, which was expected. It only lasted about 30 minutes before the Artemis crew was back in touch with mission control.
President Trump also called the crew, congratulating them on their journey.
Artemis II is now on its return trajectory to Earth, with splashdown expected Friday off the California coast.