Astronauts start trip home after milestone-rich lunar flyby

HOUSTON, Apr 07 (AFP): The Artemis II astronauts wrapped up their lunar flyby as they continue their journey back to Earth on Tuesday, bringing with them rich celestial observations including little-known lunar craters, a solar eclipse and meteor strikes that scientists hope will open doors.
Their eyes glued to the spacecraft windows for nearly seven hours, the team of four who spent their day breaking records and making history were treated to a view of the Moon unlike any other.
"Humans probably have not evolved to see what we're seeing," said Victor Glover. "It is truly hard to describe. It is amazing."
The crew reported in vivid detail features of the lunar surface and later witnessed a solar eclipse, when the Moon passed in front of the Sun. They also described flashes of light -- meteor strikes -- on the Moon's surface.
"I can't say enough how much science we've already learned," Kelsey Young, lead scientist for the Artemis II mission, told the astronauts. "You really brought the Moon closer for us today, and we cannot say thank you enough."
But even after becoming the furthest humans ever to travel from Earth, their day was not over: the bleary-eyed astronauts remained in good spirits as they took a late-night call from US President Donald Trump.