Updated on: April 2, 2026 / 7:58 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google The Orion capsule and its three-man, one-woman crew successfully broke out of Earth orbit and headed for the moon Thursday evening, hours after NASA's mission management team cleared the Artemis II crew for a critical rocket firing. The shuttle-era Orbital Maneuvering System engine at the base of the Orion capsule's service module began firing for five minutes and 50 seconds starting at about 7:50 p.m. EDT as the spacecraft raced through the low point of its elliptical orbit. The engine firing provided a slingshot-like boost to the Orion, speeding it up to some 25,000 mph, the velocity needed to break free of Earth's gravitational clasp for a four-day trek to the moon.…