NASA astronauts don break record for farthest distance from Earth wey human beings ever travel, but as dem dey make history, social media don dey yarn say the whole mission na green screen magic. The Artemis II crew, wey include NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency‘s Jeremy Hansen, don surpass the record wey Apollo 13 set for 1970. Dem travel pass 248,655 statute miles from Earth as dem fly around the Moon for the first time for over fifty years.
But as the world dey celebrate this big achievement, one video wey dey show the crew interview for inside the Orion spacecraft don cause wahala online. For the video, wey dem record from CNN broadcast for April 5, 2026, text appear to dey show through the mission official mascot, one plush toy wey dem call “Rise.” Social media users quick jump on am, dey claim say na evidence say the whole lunar flyby na stage for studio. “Green screen??? this is from Artemis live on YouTube!” one Facebook post wey dem share for April 6 caption am. The video don gather over 1.5 million views as e dey spread.
Experts don come out to debunk the claim. Hany Farid, one professor for University of California, Berkeley and co-founder of GetReal Security, tell AFP say the anomaly na simple “failed text overlay on the part of the broadcaster.” Farid explain say the broadcaster no lay down the blue banner wey the text suppose overlay on top, so the text just show through the blue part of the spinning mascot. Actual digital footage from the original NASA live feed no show any defect like that. The same footage wey dem upload for VideoFromSpace YouTube channel no get any glitch.
Meanwhile, the Artemis II mission itself don achieve wetin many see as monumental. The crew, for inside the Orion spacecraft wey dem nickname “Integrity,” don complete their historic trip around the moon. For their seven-hour lunar flyby, the astronauts snap photos and make observations. Dem even lose contact with mission control for about 40 minutes as the spacecraft pass behind the moon. For that moment, dem join the elite group of humans wey don witness “Earthrise” from the far side of the moon. Dem also see solar eclipse from space. “Humans probably have not evolved to see what we’re seeing,” Pilot Victor Glover talk. “It is truly hard to describe.”
NASA don release stunning new images of Earth and moon wey the crew capture. The Orion dey officially on its way back to Earth now. The 10-day mission go conclude for Friday, when e go make reentry before e splash down for Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. For the journey back, the crew go conduct tests, including one to assess their ability to protect themselves from solar radiation. “Radiation will be an ongoing concern as humans venture into deep space,” according to NASA. Dem go also test Orion’s manual piloting capabilities.
Back for ground, Michiana businesses dey play big role for this success. IFT Worldwide, one metal finishing company based for South Bend, Indiana, say dem inspect the primary structure of the Orion spacecraft before assembly. Brian Mack, senior technical application specialist for the company, explain say their team use liquid penetrating process to flood parts with dye to reveal any cracks or flaws wey fit compromise safety. “If there’s any kind of crack, flaw, indication, or corrosion, it will stay in, inside those cracks,” Mack talk. “So, when you wash it off, it will still be inside the crack. Then, when you do your inspection, it will be visible to the eye.”
Mack say the mission na about more than just one flight. “It’s been really exciting to think that not only are they going to the Moon, but they’re gonna go farther, and farther, and farther, to Mars, eventually,” e add. The conspiracy theories, wey dey link to long-standing claims say the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing na stage, don surface again. But as the Artemis II crew dey head home after breaking distance record, the focus for many remain on the real scientific achievement and the preparation for future deep space exploration.
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