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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Science
Richard Luscombe

Jubilant return of Artemis II shadowed by ‘extinction-level’ cuts to Nasa: ‘It’s discordant’

Nasa’s Orion capsule carrying the Artemis II crew as it is about to splash down on 10 April 2026.
Nasa’s Orion capsule carrying the Artemis II crew as it is about to splash down on Friday. Photograph: Bill Ingalls/UPI/Shutterstock

The astronauts onboard Artemis II were “almost poets”, Nasa’s administrator, Jared Isaacman, declared on Friday, referring to their inspiring words as they swung above the lunar surface.

They were, he said, “ambassadors for humanity” as they became the first humans to travel to the moon and return safely to Earth since 1972, on a mission that broke a distance record.

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