HOUSTON — With the moon looming larger than ever, Artemis II Astronauts raced to set a new distance record Monday from Earth in a flyby of the moon promising stunning views of the far side never before seen with the naked eye.
The six-hour flight is the highlight NASA’s first return to the moon since Age of Apollo with Three Americans and one Canadian – A step towards landing near the south pole of the moon in just two years.
The prize – and bragging rights – awaits Artemis II.
With less than an hour to go and intense observation of the Moon, the four astronauts were scheduled to become the furthest humans in history, surpassing the distance record of 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) set by Apollo 13 in April 1970.
Mission Control expects Artemis II to exceed this record by more than 4,100 miles (6,600 kilometers).
Artemis 2 uses the same maneuver as Apollo 13 after a “Houston, we’ve got a problem” oxygen tank explosion eliminated any hope of landing on the moon.
Known as a free-return lunar path, this non-stop path to Earth takes advantage of the gravity of the Earth and the Moon, reducing the need for fuel. It’s the celestial figure eight that will position astronauts on their way home, once they emerge from behind the moon on Monday evening.
Commander Reed Wiseman, pilots Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen were on track to fly by the moon at 4,070 miles (6,550 kilometers) as their Orion capsule passed by the moon, made a U-shape and then headed back toward Earth. It will take them four days to return, with their Pacific test flight concluding on Friday.
Wiseman and his crew have spent years studying lunar geography to prepare for this big event, adding a solar eclipse to their collection over the past few weeks. By launching last Wednesday, they ensured that they got a total solar eclipse from their position behind the moon, thanks to the universe.
At the top of their list of science targets: the Oriental Basin, a sprawling impact basin containing three concentric rings, the extreme of which extends nearly 600 miles (950 kilometers) across.
Other sightseeing targets: the landing sites of Apollo 12 and 14 from 1969 and 1971 respectively, as well as the outskirts of the Antarctic region, a preferred location for future landings. Farther away, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn – not to mention Earth – will be visible.
Their lunar mentor, NASA geologist Kelsey Young, expects thousands of images.
“People all over the world are connecting with the moon,” she said on the eve of the flyby, wearing eclipse earrings. “This is something every person on this planet can understand and connect with.”
Artemis 2 is NASA’s first astronaut flight to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. It paves the way for next year’s Artemis 3 flight, which will see the Orion crew further training to dock with lunar landers in Earth orbit. The lunar landing will be followed by its culmination by two astronauts near the south pole of Artemis IV in 2028.
While Artemis II may follow the path of Apollo 13, it is reminiscent of Apollo 8 and humanity’s first lunar visitors who orbited the Moon on Christmas Eve 1968 and read from the Book of Genesis.
Glover said traveling to the moon during Christian Holy Week brought to him “the beauty of creation.” He noted over the weekend that Earth is an oasis in the middle of “a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe” where humanity exists as one.
“This is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, that we are the same and we have to get through this together,” Glover said as he shook hands with his crewmates.
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