Astronauts return after venturing where no human had gone before, raising hope for humanity (Ld)

Four astronauts on the Artemis II mission splashed down in the Pacific after a nine day and one hour voyage that looped over the moon and set a new distance mark for Earthlings at 404,409 kilometers, glimpsing its far side. Commander Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Canadian Jeremy Hansen were hailed, with NASA head Jared Isaacman calling them ambassadors from humanity to the stars. Their Orion capsule hit 39,458 km/h before parachutes deployed and the heat shield held. Donald Trump and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney praised the feat as NASA plans sustained return to the moon.