The Artemis II astronauts wrapped up their lunar flyby as they continue their journey back to Earth on Tuesday, bringing with them rich celestial observations including little-known lunar craters, a solar eclipse and meteor strikes that scientists hope will open doors.

President Trump praised the crew of NASA's Artemis II mission in a brief chat late Monday, saying they had "inspired the entire world" after they looped around the moon in a record-breaking voyage.

As Earth goes out of sight, radio contact with mission control will drop for roughly 40 minutes because the moon itself blocks the line of sight back home. Even without that link, the crew will keep working in the Orion spacecraft, dubbed Integrity, using onboard devices to capture images, measurements, and notes.

The record-setting astronauts had a front-row view of the farside of the moon, an eclipse and perhaps a re-creation of the famous Earthrise.

The crew shared an emotional moment with mission control and the family of Reid Wiseman, whose wife, Carroll, died in 2020, on the ground in Houston.