Anonymousabout 2 hours ago
NASA's Artemis II mission, carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft "Integrity," is on track to break Apollo 13's 56-year-old distance record on April 6, 2026, reaching 406,773 km from Earth during a far-side lunar flyby. The mission — the first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit since 1972 — has already encountered a toilet malfunction and frozen urine vent line, while reigniting debate over the Artemis program's $93 billion price tag, the realistic timeline for an actual crewed lunar landing, and whether the U.S.-China competition for the Moon justifies the cost.