The six-hour flyby is the highlight of NASA's first return to the moon since the Apolla ere with three Americans and one Canadian — a step toward landing boot prints near the moon’s south pole in just two years.
First came a prize — and bragging rights — for Artemis II.
Less than an hour before kicking off the fly-around and intense lunar observations, the four astronauts surpassed the distance record of 248,655 miles set by Apollo 13 in April 1970.
They kept going, hurtling ever farther from Earth. Before it was all over, Mission Control expected Artemis II to beat the old record by more than 4,100 miles.
“It is blowing my mind what you can see with the naked eye from the moon right now. It is just unbelievable,” Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen radioed ahead of the flyby. He challenged "this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived.”
Moments after breaking Apollo 13's record, the astronauts asked permission to name two fresh lunar craters already observed. They proposed Integrity, their capsule's name, and Carroll in honor of commander Reid Wiseman's late wife who died of cancer in 2020. Wiseman wept as Hansen put in the request to Mission Control, and all four astronauts embraced in tears.
“Such a majestic view out here,” Wiseman radioed.
The astronauts started the 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 my old neighborhood,” said Lovell, who also flew on Apollo 8, humanity's first lunar visit. “It's a historic day and I know how busy you'll be, but don't forget to enjoy the view.”
They took up with them the Apollo 8 silk patch that accompanied Lovell to the moon, and showed it off as the crucial flyby approached. “It's just a real honor to have that on board with us,” said Wiseman. “Let's go have a great day.”
Artemis II is using the same maneuver that Apollo 13 did after its “Houston, we’ve had a problem” oxygen tank explosion wiped out any hope of a moon landing.
Known as a free-return lunar trajectory, this no-stopping-to-land route takes advantage of Earth and the moon’s gravity, reducing the need for fuel. It’s a celestial figure-eight that will put the astronauts on course for home, once they emerge from behind the moon Monday evening.
Wiseman, Hansen, pilot Victor Glover and Christina Koch were on track to pass as close as 4,070 miles (6,550 kilometers) to the moon, as their Orion capsule whips past it, hangs a U-turn and then heads back toward Earth. It will take them four days to get back, with a splashdown in the Pacific concluding their test flight on Friday.
Their expected speed at closest approach to the moon: 3,139 mph.
Wiseman and his crew spent years studying lunar geography to prepare for the big event, adding solar eclipses to their repertoire during the past few weeks. By launching last Wednesday, they ensured themselves of a total solar eclipse from their vantage point behind the moon, courtesy of the cosmos.
