Artemis II kicks off trip around the moon after surpassing Apollo 13’s distance record

HOUSTON — With the Moon now filling their windows, the Artemis 2 astronauts began their flyby of the Moon on Monday, enjoying stunning views of the far side never seen before, while setting a new distance record for humanity.

The six-hour flyby is the highlight of NASA’s first return to the moon since the Apollo era with three Americans and one Canadian, a step toward landing near the moon’s south pole in just two years.

First the prize—and bragging rights—came to Artemis II.

With less than an hour to go and intense observation of the Moon, the four astronauts surpassed the distance record of 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) set by Apollo 13 in April 1970.

They kept moving forward, pushing away from the ground. Before it’s all over, Mission Control expects Artemis II to break the old record by more than 4,100 miles (6,600 kilometers).

“What you can see with the naked eye from the moon now amazes me. It’s incredible,” Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said over the radio before the flyby. He challenged “this generation and the next generation to make sure that this record does not last long.”

Moments after Apollo 13’s record-breaking launch, astronauts requested permission to name the two new lunar craters that had already been spotted. They proposed Integrity, the name of their capsule, and Carol in honor of Commander Reed Wiseman’s wife, who died of cancer in 2020. Wiseman cried when Hansen made the request to mission control, and the four astronauts tearfully embraced.

“Such a majestic view here,” Weissman said over the radio once he regained his composure and began taking photos. The astronauts noted that they were able to photograph the Moon and Earth in the same shot, and provided running commentary to scientists in Houston about what they were seeing.

Pilot Victor Glover noted that some of the peaks were so bright that they appeared to be covered in snow. Besides filming the scenes with high-powered Nikon cameras, the astronauts also pulled out their iPhones to snap some impromptu shots.

Weisman, Glover, Hansen and Christina Koch began this momentous day with the voice of Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell, who recorded a wake-up message just two months before his death last August. “Welcome to the old neighborhood,” said Lovell, who also flew on Apollo 8, the first human visit to the moon. “It’s a historic day and I know how busy you are, but don’t forget to enjoy the view.”

They took with them the Apollo 8 silk patch that had accompanied Lovell to the Moon, and displayed it as the decisive mission approached. “It’s a real honor to have him with us,” Wiseman said. “Let’s go have a great day.”

Artemis 2 uses the same maneuver as Apollo 13 after a “Houston, we’ve got a problem” oxygen tank explosion eliminated any hope of landing on the moon.

Known as a free-return lunar path, this non-stop path to Earth takes advantage of the gravity of the Earth and the Moon, reducing the need for fuel. It’s the celestial figure eight that will position astronauts on their way home, once they emerge from behind the moon on Monday evening.

The Artemis 2 astronauts were on track to fly within 4,066 miles (6,543 kilometers) of the moon, with their Orion capsule passing by, making a U-turn and heading back towards Earth. It will take them four days to return, with their Pacific test flight concluding on Friday.

Their expected speed at closest approach to the Moon: 3,139 mph (5,052 km/h).

Wiseman and his crew have spent years studying lunar geography to prepare for this big event, adding a solar eclipse to their collection over the past few weeks. By launching last Wednesday, they ensured that they got a total solar eclipse from their position behind the moon, thanks to the universe.

At the top of their list of science targets: the Oriental Basin, a sprawling impact basin containing three concentric rings, the extreme of which extends nearly 600 miles (950 kilometers) across.

Other sightseeing targets: the landing sites of Apollo 12 and 14 from 1969 and 1971 respectively, as well as the outskirts of the Antarctic region, a preferred location for future landings. Farther away, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn – not to mention Earth – will be visible.

Their lunar mentor, NASA geologist Kelsey Young, expects thousands of images.

“People all over the world are connecting with the moon,” she said on the eve of the flyby, wearing eclipse earrings. “This is something every person on this planet can understand and connect with.”

the pictures: Artemis 2 astronauts heading to the moon capture Earth’s bright blue beauty

Artemis 2 is NASA’s first astronaut flight to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. It paves the way for next year’s Artemis 3 flight, which will see the Orion crew further training to dock with lunar landers in Earth orbit. The lunar landing will be followed by its culmination by two astronauts near the south pole of Artemis IV in 2028.

While Artemis II may follow the path of Apollo 13, it is reminiscent of Apollo 8 and humanity’s first lunar visitors who orbited the Moon on Christmas Eve 1968 and read from the Book of Genesis.

Glover said traveling to the moon during Christian Holy Week brought to him “the beauty of creation.” He noted over the weekend that Earth is an oasis in the middle of “a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe” where humanity exists as one.

“This is an opportunity for us to remember where we are and who we are and that we are the same and we have to get through this together,” Glover said as he shook hands with his colleagues.

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