Camilla Jessen
NASA astronauts travel farther than ever in lunar mission.
As astronauts ventured farther than ever before, the journey blended record-breaking achievements with emotion and risk.
The Artemis II crew completed a six-hour flyby of the Moon, traveling farther from Earth than any humans in history, The Guardian reported.
On the sixth day of the mission, astronauts aboard NASA’s Orion capsule documented the Moon’s far side while carrying symbolic items tied to earlier space missions.
Their journey surpassed the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970, reaching 406,778 km from Earth, about 6,600 km farther than the previous mark.
Record distance
The new milestone marked a significant step in NASA’s renewed push toward lunar exploration.
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen acknowledged the achievement but emphasized future ambitions, urging others to surpass the record.
The mission followed a free-return trajectory similar to Apollo 13, using the gravitational pull of Earth and the Moon to guide the spacecraft safely back.
Lunar views
Astronauts spent hours observing and photographing the Moon’s surface, offering a rare human perspective on terrain usually seen only by robotic missions.
” Such a grand sight here ,” said Reid Wiseman, as cited by The Guardian.
Victor Glover described bright peaks that appeared snow-covered, while Christina Koch likened craters to a ” lamp with fine holes, through which light passes .”
Signal blackout
As the spacecraft passed behind the Moon, communication with Earth was cut for about 40 minutes.
” See you on the other side ,” Glover said before the signal dropped.
According to The Guardian, the capsule made its closest approach during the blackout, a moment described by astronomer Derek Buzasi as ” exciting, in a slightly scary way .”
The day began with a recorded message from Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, who said: “Welcome to my old neighborhood.”
The crew also carried a historic Apollo 8 insignia, honoring earlier generations of astronauts.
“It’s a real honor to have it on board ,” Wiseman said.
In orbit, astronauts proposed naming two lunar craters, including one in memory of Wiseman’s late wife.
” There’s a bright spot on the moon. And we’d like to call it Carroll ,” Hansen said.
Sources: The Guardian, NASA, Digi24
