For the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, humans have flown around the Moon — and in today's episode, we cover every breathtaking moment. The Artemis II crew has completed their historic 7-hour lunar flyby, broken the all-time record for the farthest human spaceflight, witnessed an Earthset and Earthrise from the far side, and observed a total solar eclipse from beyond the Moon. We also break down NASA's controversial FY2027 budget proposal, the upcoming Cygnus ISS resupply launch, the SMILE solar shield mission launching tomorrow in a historic ESA-China collaboration, and Blue Origin's plan to map every drop of water ice on the Moon.
📌 CHAPTERS
00:00 – Intro
01:15 – Artemis II: Lunar Flyby Complete (Main Story)
07:30 – NASA FY2027 Budget: 47% Science Cut Proposed
10:00 – Cygnus NG-24 Heads to the ISS
12:15 – SMILE Mission: ESA & China Launch Solar Shield Explorer
14:30 – Blue Origin Oasis-1: Hunting the Moon's Water Ice
17:00 – April Skywatching: Lyrids & Comet R3
19:30 – Outro
🔭 WHAT HAPPENED IN TODAY'S EPISODE:
✅ Artemis II crew breaks the farthest human spaceflight record at 252,760 miles from Earth
✅ Christina Koch becomes the first woman to complete a lunar flyby
✅ Crew witnesses Earthset, Earthrise, and a solar eclipse from beyond the Moon
✅ NASA faces proposed 47% science budget cut for the second year running
✅ Cygnus NG-24 (S.S. Steven R. Nagel) launches tomorrow to the ISS
✅ SMILE mission launches April 9 — humanity's first complete view of Earth's magnetic shield
✅ Blue Origin Oasis-1 unveiled: mapping water ice and lunar resources from ultra-low orbit
✅ April skywatching preview: Lyrids and Comet C/2025 R3