Artemis 2 Sets New Distance Record

The Artemis 2 mission, currently on a lunar flyby, has broken the record for the farthest distance traveled by humans from Earth. As of 12:57 p.m. Central Time (1:57 p.m. Eastern Time) today, the Orion spacecraft was 251,130 miles from Earth, exceeding the previous record of 248,655 miles set by Apollo 13. Mission officials anticipate reaching a maximum distance of approximately 252,760 miles – over 4,100 miles farther than Apollo 13’s peak.

Lunar Observations Focused on Oriental Basin

Astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Cook are currently conducting detailed observations of the moon, specifically focusing on the Oriental Basin, often referred to as the “Grand Canyon of the Moon.” They are utilizing Nikon cameras and Portable Computing Devices (PCDs) to record images and annotations, which will be downlinked to the science team for analysis. The team is particularly interested in the basin’s annular ring, hoping to understand its geologic evolution and formation.

Science Team Requests Specific Data

The science team has requested centered images of the entire Oriental Basin and surrounding craters, as well as mosaic images created using zoom lenses. They are also requesting detailed descriptions of the basin’s southern dark annular ring, including observations of color, albedo, texture, and topography. Astronaut Reed Wiseman, acting as a support person alongside Jeremy Hansen, relayed the team’s excitement about the initial observations.

Upcoming Milestones

Key upcoming events include Earth set behind the moon at approximately 5:41 p.m. Central Time (6:41 p.m. Eastern Time), closest approach to the moon at 6:00 p.m. Central (7:00 p.m. Eastern) at a distance of 4,066 miles, and reaching the farthest distance from Earth at 6:02 p.m. Central (7:02 p.m. Eastern). Communications with the crew will be re-established shortly after Earth rise at 6:21 p.m. Central time.