Image: WESH

Artemis II Astronauts Set Record, Become Furthest Humans from Earth

07 April, 2026.Technology and Science.37 sources

Key Takeaways

Artemis II's lunar flyby set a new distance record, reaching about 252,756 miles from Earth.
The crew consists of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen.
Artemis II tests systems for future Moon landings and marks first return since Apollo era.

Historic Lunar Flyby

The Artemis II crew became the first humans to surpass the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970.

They observed parts of the moon's far side never before seen with the naked eye and witnessed a solar eclipse.

ABC News

President Trump called to congratulate them as modern-day pioneers.

The mission marked humanity's first return to the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.

First Human Views of Lunar Far Side

The crew experienced a 40-minute communications blackout as the spacecraft passed behind the moon.

They observed features of the lunar far side never before seen by human eyes.

Al Jazeera

They noted unique colors, with much of the moon appearing brown and isolated greenish tones.

The crew proposed naming two fresh lunar craters Integrity and Carroll.

Emotional Moments and Record Breaking

The record-breaking milestone was crowned by an emotional moment when the crew proposed crater names.

“Artemis II breaks Apollo 13’s distance record with daring moon flyby that included a solar eclipse Artemis II breaks Apollo 13’s distance record with daring moon flyby that included a solar eclipse HOUSTON (AP) — After traveling deeper into space than any other humans, the Artemis II astronauts pointed their moonship toward home Monday night, wrapping up a lunar cruise that revealed views of the far side never beheld by eyes until now”