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Snapshot 7:Mon, Apr 6, 2026 8:32:49 PM GMT last edited by Anna-Lisa

Artemis II Crew Flies Past Moon for First Time Since 1972

Artemis II Crew Flies Past Moon for First Time Since 1972

Is Artemis II humanity's greatest leap since Apollo or an overpriced nostalgia trip dressed up as progress?
Artemis II Crew Flies Past Moon for First Time Since 1972
Above: Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft's main cabin windows on April 4. Image credit: NASA/Getty Images

The Spin

Artemis II is humanity's greatest leap since Apollo, with four astronauts venturing more than 200,000 miles into deep space and becoming the first humans to see the Moon's stunning Orientale basin. This mission proves America still leads the charge in exploration, pushing boundaries no human has crossed in more than five decades. The Moon isn't just getting closer — history is being made in real time.

Artemis II is sadly a glorified nostalgia trip built on recycled shuttle parts and Apollo-era ambition — nothing genuinely new is happening here. Years behind schedule and billions over budget, this mission is a costly photo-op while veterans go homeless and infrastructure crumbles. Real progress demands radical new propulsion technology, not repackaged 1960s achievements dressed up as breakthroughs.

Metaculus Prediction

There's a 95% chance that NASA's Artemis II will complete its mission successfully before 2027, according to the Metaculus prediction community.



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© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0

© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.18.0