Houston, Apr 07: After travelling farther into space than any humans since the Apollo era, astronauts aboard Artemis II began their return journey to Earth, concluding a historic lunar flyby that offered unprecedented views of the moon’s far side.
The mission marked a major milestone for NASA as it prepares for future crewed landings near the lunar south pole. During the flyby, the crew witnessed a rare total solar eclipse, with the moon briefly blocking the sun, while also spotting planets including Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn.
In a significant achievement, Artemis II surpassed the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. The Orion spacecraft reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles (406,771 km) from Earth before looping around the moon, exceeding the previous record by over 4,000 miles.
“It is unbelievable what you can see with the naked eye from here,” Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen radioed, describing the breathtaking views from space.
The nearly 10-day mission included a seven-hour lunar observation phase, during which astronauts captured detailed images of craters and other surface features. The mission is set to conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific, paving the way for upcoming Artemis missions aimed at returning humans to the moon. (Agency)
