Artemis II Crew Earns Top US Space Honor

The Artemis II astronauts, Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, were honored with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor on Friday. This prestigious award recognizes their recent mission, which involved a lunar flyby. During this flight, the crew traveled to within 4,067 miles of the moon, setting a new distance record for humanity while testing NASA's Orion capsule.

President Donald Trump presented the medals at a ceremony at Houston's Johnson Space Center. He took the opportunity to announce the creation of a new US space academy, intended to support NASA, the Space Force, and the commercial space industry. This initiative underscores the growing importance of space endeavors.

The Artemis II mission, occurring over fifty years since the last human journey to the moon, is a precursor to future lunar missions. NASA aims for a crewed lunar landing by 2028, with plans for a sustainable moon base near the south pole. This renewed focus on lunar exploration is seen as the beginning of a 'second space race'.

Notable figures, including Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong and recent recipients Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, have previously received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. The Artemis II crew also presented President Trump with a custom flight jacket.