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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.<\/p>\n
Their flyby of the moon \u2014 NASA\u2019s first return since the Apollo era \u2014 even included some celestial sightseeing besides yielding rich science. It was a significant step toward landing boot prints near the moon\u2019s south pole in just two years.<\/p>\n
A total solar eclipse greeted the three Americans and one Canadian as the moon temporarily blocked the sun from their perspective. Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn nodded at them from the black void. The landing sites of Apollo 12 and 14 also were visible, poignant reminders of NASA\u2019s first age of exploration more than half a century ago.<\/p>\n
In an especially riveting retro throwback, Artemis II shattered the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. NASA\u2019s Orion capsule reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers) from Earth before hanging a U-turn behind the moon, 4,101 miles (6,600 kilometers) farther than Apollo 13.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is blowing my mind what you can see with the naked eye from the moon right now. It is just unbelievable,\u201d Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen radioed. He challenged \u201cthis generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell wished the crew well in a recording made two months before his death last August. Mission Control beamed up his message to commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Hansen, before their fly-around began.<\/p>\n
\u201cWelcome to my old neighborhood,\u201d said Lovell, who also flew on Apollo 8, humanity\u2019s first lunar visit. \u201cIt\u2019s a historic day and I know how busy you\u2019ll be, but don\u2019t forget to enjoy the view.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Artemis II astronauts carried up with them the Apollo 8 silk patch that accompanied Lovell to the moon. \u201cIt\u2019s just a real honor to have that on board with us,\u201d Wiseman said.<\/p>\n
Artemis II is using the same maneuver that Apollo 13 did after its \u201cHouston, we\u2019ve had a problem\u201d oxygen tank explosion wiped out any hope of a moon landing.<\/p>\n
Known as a free-return lunar trajectory, this no-stopping-to-land route takes advantage of Earth and the moon\u2019s gravity, reducing the need for fuel. It\u2019s a celestial figure-eight that put the astronauts on course for home once they emerged from behind the moon Monday evening.<\/p>\n
Artemis II\u2019s lunar fly-around and intense observation period lasted seven hours, by far the highlight of the nearly 10-day test flight that will end with a splashdown in the Pacific on Friday.<\/p>\n
Venturing as close as 4,067 miles (6,545 kilometers) to the gray dusty surface, the astronauts zipped through a list of more than two dozen targets, using powerful Nikon cameras as well as their iPhones to zoom in on impact craters and other intriguing lunar features.<\/p>\n
Before getting started, they requested permission to name two bright, freshly carved craters. They suggested Integrity, the name of their capsule, and Carroll, commander Wiseman\u2019s wife, who died of cancer in 2020.<\/p>\n
Wiseman wept as Hansen put in the request to Mission Control, and all four astronauts embraced in tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch a majestic view out here,\u201d Wiseman radioed once he regained his composure and started picture-taking. The astronauts called down that they managed to capture the moon and Earth in the same shot, and they provided a running commentary to scientists back in Houston on what they were seeing.<\/p>\n
At one point, Koch reported an overwhelming sensation of emotion for a second or two while zooming in on the moon. \u201cSomething just drew me in suddenly to the lunar landscape and it became real,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Artemis II astronauts made their closest approach to the moon and reached their maximum distance from Earth while they were out of contact. Their speed at closest approach: 3,139 mph (5,052 kph). The spacecraft accelerated as it appeared from behind the moon and the planned communications blackout and made tracks for Earth.<\/p>\n
An Earthrise came into view showing Asia, Africa and Oceania as Mission Control called out: \u201cWe are Earthbound and ready to bring you home.\u201d Flight controllers in Houston flipped their mission patches over to signify the return leg.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump phoned the astronauts following the flyby, calling them \u201cmodern-day pioneers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToday you\u2019ve made history and made all America really proud, incredibly proud,\u201d the president said, adding that more lunar traveling is coming and ultimately \u201cthe whole big trip to Mars.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Topping their science target list: Orientale Basin, a sprawling impact basin with three concentric rings, the outermost of which stretches nearly 600 miles (950 kilometers) across.<\/p>\n
Their moon mentor, NASA geologist Kelsey Young, expects thousands of pictures.<\/p>\n
Artemis II is NASA\u2019s first astronaut moonshot since Apollo 17 in 1972. It sets the stage for next year\u2019s Artemis III, which will see another Orion crew practice docking with lunar landers in orbit around Earth. The culminating moon landing by two astronauts near the moon\u2019s south pole will follow on Artemis IV in 2028.<\/p>\n
While Artemis II may be taking Apollo 13\u2019s path, it\u2019s most reminiscent of Apollo 8 and humanity\u2019s first lunar visitors who orbited the moon on Christmas Eve 1968 and read from the Book of Genesis.<\/p>\n
Glover said flying to the moon during Christianity\u2019s Holy Week brought home for him \u201cthe beauty of creation.\u201d Earth is an oasis amid \u201ca whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe\u201d where humanity exists as one, he observed over the weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing and that we\u2019ve got to get through this together,\u201d Glover said, clasping hands with his crewmates.<\/p>\n
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute\u2019s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n