Artemis II Crew Completes Historic Lunar Flyby, Sets Distance Record
Key Takeaways
- Artemis II completed a lunar flyby behind the Moon, capturing first close-up images.
- The crew reached about 252,756 miles from Earth, breaking Apollo 13’s farthest-distance record.
- NASA released the Earthset image showing Earth setting beyond the lunar horizon.
Lunar Flyby Accomplished
The Artemis II mission completed NASA's first crewed lunar flyby since 1972.
The crew came within 4,067 miles of the moon's surface.
They set a new human distance record, traveling 252,756 miles from Earth.
The flyby lasted seven hours with a 40-minute communication blackout.
Far Side Observations
The astronauts observed about 21% of the moon's far side illuminated by the sun.
They took approximately 10,000 photos during the flyby.
The crew captured a now-iconic Earthset image.
Scientific and Inspirational
The astronauts observed specific lunar features including the Hertzsprung Basin and Orientale Basin.
“On Monday,four astronautsdid the incredible”
Orientale had never been seen with human eyes before.
The mission also tested hardware and procedures for deep-space habitats.
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