The Orion capsule of the Artemis II mission crew entered the so-called lunar sphere of influence on the night from Sunday to Monday, crossing the area of space where the Moon's gravitational force is stronger than the Earth's.
The Artemis II mission broke the record for the distance from Earth of the Apollo 13 crew. A special request from an astronaut
The astronauts reached the record distance from Earth on Monday. 19.56. It amounted to 406 thousand. 764 km. The previous best result in terms of distance belonged to the Apollo 13 crew in 1970 and was 248,655 miles (approx. 400,000 km).
After Orion reached the record distance, Canadian astronaut and Artemis II mission member Jeremy Hansen asked that one of the lunar craters be named after the late wife of astronaut and crew commander Reid Wiseman. Carroll Taylor Wiseman, a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit, died in 2020 after a battle with cancer.
— What we can now see from the Moon with the naked eye is stunning to me. “It's just unbelievable,” Hansen radioed. He called on “the present and future generations to ensure that this record does not stand for long.”
NASA recalled that the Artemis II crew had with them a recording of Apollo 13 and Apollo 8 captain Jim Lovell, who died last year at the age of 97.
—Welcome to my old neighborhood. It's a historic day and I know how busy you will be, but don't forget to enjoy the views. Good luck! Lovell said in his message.
The Artemis II mission achieved a historic achievement. For the first time in over 50 years
This is the first time in over half a century that astronauts have entered the lunar sphere of influence, since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 – reminds NBC.
The mission officially began its flyby phase of the Moon. During this time, the crew will work in shifts to take photos of our satellite for the next six hours. The observations will cover parts of the lunar surface that have never been seen by anyone before.
At the end of the lunar observation period, astronauts will experience a solar eclipse of the Moon from the perspective of the Orion spacecraft. Astronauts will also have the opportunity to take photos of other planets that may be visible during the eclipse, including Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn.
You can watch the broadcast here:
Artemis II mission – the first in half a century
Artemis II is the first manned mission to the Moon in half a century, and is an introduction to the construction of a permanent base on the Earth's satellite. The crew includes Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.
—Artemis II is just the beginning. This is a test mission and familiarization with the rocket. We want to see if it works well for humans and then we'll send them further into space. This will be the beginning for future missions. We are in a golden age for science, said the head of NASA in a conversation with journalists before the launch of the mission.
