Yesterday, the Artemis II mission completed its highly anticipated lunar flyby, with the Orion spacecraft coming within just 4,067 miles of the lunar surface. During their transit beyond the far side of the Moon, the four astronauts reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth, breaking the half-century-old record for the farthest human spaceflight distance set by Apollo 13.
During the seven-hour flyby, the astronauts witnessed previously unseen views of the Moon’s far side, with approximately 21% of that mysterious region illuminated by the Sun from their perspective. Communications were interrupted for about 40 minutes as Orion passed behind the Moon, and the crew also observed a spectacular “Earthset.”
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen worked in two shifts over roughly five hours, taking approximately 10,000 photos. They identified key geological features, including the Hertzsprung Basin and the Orientale Basin, and named two small craters “Integrity” kuma “Carroll” — the latter in honor of Wiseman’s late wife. The four astronauts hugged and shed tears as a moment of silence was observed in Houston’s Mission Control.
Later in the flyby, the crew experienced a total solar eclipse that lasted nearly an hour — far longer than the typical few minutes such eclipses last on Earth. They witnessed streamers in the solar corona and observed planets including Mars, Venus, and Saturn, as well as breathtaking views of the Milky Way.
The vast collection of images captured during this mission will provide crucial insights into the Moon’s origins and lay the groundwork for future lunar surface missions. Commander Reid Wiseman said, “This is what we do best when we all come together and work as a team.” Science officer Dr. Kelsey Young added, “You really brought the Moon closer to us today.”