The Orion crew module containing the four Artemis II astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean Friday evening.

The NASA moon mission completed several key milestones as its crew looped around the lunar body. It's expected to splash down on Earth on Friday.

The astronauts on Artemis II will observe parts of the moon rarely seen by human eyes. A NASA planetary scientist said it will offer a vital perspective for lunar research.

The Artemis II crewmembers are now on their mission to the moon with 189 food items to choose from. NASA and the crew worked together to develop a menu for the mission that includes a wide variety of foods.

NASA's Artemis II mission lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. Eastern Wednesday. The mission aims to send four astronauts around the moon on a roughly 10-day journey.

Peter Cranis, executive director of the Space Coast Office of Tourism, says the level of excitement is high around NASA's Artemis II launch.

NASA is counting down to the Artemis II rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center, with liftoff scheduled for around 6:24 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the crew of NASA's Artemis II could blast off on a mission around the moon and back. No astronaut has ventured out to the moon since the 1970s.

On "The Florida Roundup," Hadfield talks about what it's like to be launched into space, what the Artemis II crew might be navigating as it prepares, his personal connection to one of the members and more.

As four astronauts get set to blast off on humanity's first trip to the moon in more than half a century, comparisons between Apollo and NASA's new Artemis program are inevitable.

Mike Fincke, 59, said the episode lasted roughly 20 minutes and he felt fine afterward. He said he still does. He never experienced anything like that before or since.

The Artemis crew won’t land on the moon this time or even orbit it, but the out-and-back journey will take them thousands of miles deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts ventured.