403
Sorry!!
Error! We're sorry, but the page you were looking for doesn't exist.
Artemis II Crew on Way to Earth After Historic Lunar Flyby
(MENAFN) Four astronauts aboard NASA's Artemis II mission have shattered humanity's farthest-from-Earth record following a successful lunar flyby, with the crew now charting a course back to our planet, the US space agency announced Monday.
The Orion spacecraft peaked at a staggering 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers) from Earth — eclipsing the longstanding record set by the Apollo 13 crew more than five decades ago in 1970.
The four-member crew — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — captured views of the moon's far side during the mission and witnessed a solar eclipse visible exclusively from space, an experience inaccessible to any observer on Earth.
Before pivoting toward home, the Orion capsule swept within approximately 4,067 miles (6,545 kilometers) of the lunar surface at its closest approach, NASA confirmed.
US President Donald Trump connected live with the crew in orbit, celebrating the milestone and gesturing toward America's broader ambitions in deep space exploration.
"People haven't been there in a long time…but it's going to be more and more prevalent because we're going to be doing a lot of traveling," Trump said, adding that astronauts would "ultimately do the whole big trip to Mars."
The president further told the crew: "Your mission paves the way for America's return to the lunar surface very soon."
The Orion spacecraft peaked at a staggering 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers) from Earth — eclipsing the longstanding record set by the Apollo 13 crew more than five decades ago in 1970.
The four-member crew — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — captured views of the moon's far side during the mission and witnessed a solar eclipse visible exclusively from space, an experience inaccessible to any observer on Earth.
Before pivoting toward home, the Orion capsule swept within approximately 4,067 miles (6,545 kilometers) of the lunar surface at its closest approach, NASA confirmed.
US President Donald Trump connected live with the crew in orbit, celebrating the milestone and gesturing toward America's broader ambitions in deep space exploration.
"People haven't been there in a long time…but it's going to be more and more prevalent because we're going to be doing a lot of traveling," Trump said, adding that astronauts would "ultimately do the whole big trip to Mars."
The president further told the crew: "Your mission paves the way for America's return to the lunar surface very soon."
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Most popular stories
Market Research
More Story
Comments
No comment