Yesterday, the Artemis II mission completed its highly anticipated lunar flyby, with the Orion spacecraft coming within just 4,067 millas ar superficie lunar. Nxoge ár tránsito ma'bu̲ ar ngehnu̲ lejano ar zänä, ya goho ya astronautas alcanzaron 'nar distancia máxima ar 252,756 millas ar ximha̲i, romper récord made 'je̲ya je̲ya pa mbi nsa̲ni ar espacial humano mäs lejano establecido ya Apolo 13.
Nxoge ar sobrevuelo yoto ya ora, ya astronautas presenciaron mpakuthuu vistas hindi vistas ar ngehnu̲ nekom'u ar zänä, ko aproximadamente 21% Nunu̲ misteriosa hnini iluminada ir nge ar hyadi ndezu̲ ár perspectiva. Ya comunicaciones bí interrumpieron pa aproximar 40 t'olo ora Komo Orión bí thogi jár xu̲tha ar zänä, Ne ar tripulación 'nehe observó 'nar espectacular “Earthset.”
NASA astronautas 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” ne “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.”