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What recent achievements did the Artemis II astronauts accomplish?
Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. The Artemis II astronauts are adjusting to life back on Earth following a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean Friday evening. As NPR's Nell Greenfield-Boyce reports, the crew's successful flyby of the moon is seen by NASA as a key step toward the agency's plan to build a permanent base on the moon.
The four astronauts set a new distance from Earth record. They also snapped stunning photos of the moon as they saw parts of its surface that had never been seen by human eyes before. After their safe return, NASA's Lori Glaze said that everyone working with the Artemis moon program is fired up.
Apollo was when I was a child, and to be here now and say we actually did this, we've gone back and we're going to go build a moon base, we are going to have an enduring presence on the moon, just amazing. incredibly powerful.
Next year, the agency plans to test out lunar landers in space with a goal of landing astronauts on the moon in 2028. Nell Greenfield-Boyce, NPR News.
Vice President J.D. Vance is leading a U.S. delegation in Pakistan for talks with Iranian officials there. The talks begin on Saturday. Speaking with reporters Friday evening, President Trump says he expects a good outcome.
Well, I wish him luck. He's got a big thing. We'll find out what's going on. They're militarily defeated. And now we're going to open up the Gulf with or without him. But that'll be open. We're going to be, or the straight as they call it. And I think it's going to go pretty quickly. And if it doesn't, we'll be able to finish it off one way or the other.
Israel, meanwhile, has continued its attacks on Lebanon. Officials in southern Lebanon say at least 13 security officers were killed in the latest strike. The White House Friday released official architectural plans for the 250-foot triumphal arch President Trump has proposed to add to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. As NPR's Anastasia Tsioklis reports, the plans will be reviewed next week.
The committee charged with reviewing the plans for the Arch is the Commission of Fine Arts, a group President Trump has filled with his appointees. The submitted plans from the Harrison design firm show a structure very similar to the model that Trump showed off at a fundraising dinner at the White House last October.
The proposed arch bears a striking resemblance to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and is topped with two eagles and a winged crowned figure reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty. On one side, the words One Nation Under God appear with the phrase With Liberty and Justice for All on the other. The structure would be more than twice the height of the nearby Lincoln Memorial.
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