HOUSTON, April 12 -- Artemis II astronauts expressed awe yesterday over their record-setting lunar flyby mission, urging unity on Earth after witnessing the planet's isolation like a "lifeboat" in space.

The crew spoke at a news conference as Nasa took a victory lap following the success of the mission.

The astronauts did the first slingshot around the Moon in more than 50 years and traveled deeper into space than any humans before - culminating in a smooth splashdown Friday off the coast of California.

Flanked on stage by mission commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen, astronaut Christina Koch called for people on Earth to embrace their shared humanity.

"What struck me wasn't necessarily just Earth, it was all the bl...