The Artemis II crew experienced a planned 40-minute communications blackout as their spacecraft was flying past the moon, which is never visible from Earth. (Image: NASA) As their Orion spacecraft circled around the far side of the moon and began to head home, astronauts on the Artemis II mission got a call from US President Donald Trump. “Today, you made history and made all of America truly proud, incredibly proud,” Trump said in a live call broadcast by NASA.

“You have truly inspired the entire world. In fact, everyone is watching.

” The President told the four astronauts that he would invite them to his Oval Office and get their autographs. Trump’s congratulatory call came after the mission completed a historic seven-hour lunar flight, the furthest humans have traveled from Earth in the process.