NASA’s Artemis II — the first crewed lunar mission in more than half a century — made history on its trip around the moon on Monday afternoon.
The four-member crew — NASA commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian space agency mission specialist Jeremy Hansen — surpassed the record for the farthest distance from Earth traveled by humans, set by Apollo 13 in 1970 at 248,655 statute miles.
“We will continue our journey even further into space before Mother Earth succeeds in pulling us back to everything that we hold dear,” Hansen told mission control. “But we, most importantly, choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived.”
The crew also proposed naming one of the moon’s previously unnamed craters in honor of Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll Wiseman.
“It’s a bright spot on the moon, and we would like to call that Carroll,” Hansen said,
During their seven-hour lunar flyby, the Artemis II astronauts took photos and made observations from the Orion spacecraft, dubbed Integrity, which lost contact with mission control for about 40 minutes as it passed behind the moon. The crew members became part of that elite group of humans who have ever witnessed an “Earthrise” as they cleared the far side of the moon.
The Orion is now officially on its way back to Earth. The 10-day mission is due to conclude on Friday, when Artemis II makes its reentry before a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
Follow the latest updates on the Artemis II lunar flyby in the blog below.
After a 40-minute communications blackout, NASA restored its connection with the crew aboard the Orion spacecraft.
“It is so great to hear Earth again,” mission specialist Christina Koch said shortly after regaining contact with mission control.
Although the mission’s lunar flyby will continue for another two hours, the astronauts have officially begun their journey back to Earth.
Less than 25 minutes after losing contact with mission control, the Orion spacecraft is believed to have passed two critical milestones on its lunar journey.
According to NASA’s estimates, the spacecraft traveled within 4,067 miles of the moon’s surface, bringing the crew as close as they will get at any point during the mission. Just a few minutes later, it reached its maximum distance from Earth, a record-setting 252,756 miles.
Because NASA was not in direct contact with Orion when it passed those points, it won’t be able to confirm the exact distances until communications are restored.
The Orion spacecraft has entered an anticipated 40-minute window during which all communication signals back to Earth are blocked by the Moon itself.
While the people running the mission admit that a “loss of signal” period can be “nerve-racking,” they also say it’s a normal part of space flight that they build into their planning from the very beginning.
Orion is expected to regain its signal with mission control at around 7:25 p.m. ET.
“We will see you on the other side,” pilot Victor Glover said before communications went dark.
As they have traveled closer and closer to the moon over the past few days, the four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft have been sharing lengthy, poetic messages about how it feels to do something no other human has accomplished in more than 50 years.
As moving as their statements are, a much simpler phrase from mission control may become the words that the mission is remembered by.
“Moon joy” is an all-encompassing term that has been used repeatedly to sum up the emotions that both the Artemis crew and the team guiding them from back on Earth are experiencing.
One clip, shared by NASA on Sunday, captures this dynamic perfectly. An astronaut spends several sentences trying to articulate the “absolutely unbelievable” feeling of seeing the stars from outer space. Mission control responds by saying “…copy, Moon joy.”
The phrase was used again on Monday afternoon, as pilot Victor Glover reported that the crew was seeing a half moon from Orion’s window. To which mission control responded, “We see half moon … full moon joy, still.”
Artemis pilot Victor Glover had a simple message for his wife, Dionna, after being told by mission control that she was watching the lunar flyby from the viewing gallery.
“Hey, babe,” he said. “I love you … from the moon.”
Mission control reported back that Dionna Glover was “all smiles” while listening to her husband describe his experience flying past the moon. Victor Glover then sent a message of love to each of his four daughters back on Earth.
According to NASA’s Artemis II live tracker, it’s been over 4 hours and 20 minutes into the lunar flyby mission. The Orion spacecraft is currently traveling at around 990 mph, at a distance of over 251,850 miles from Earth.
A nod to the sci-fi adventure movie Project Hail Mary currently in theaters was heard during the livestream of the lunar flyby window.
Commander Reid Wiseman described the view of the far side of the moon to mission control, saying, “It’s magnificent. I got a picture of it with the wide lens. Such a majestic view out here.”
Jenni Gibbons, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut from mission control, replied, “Amaze, amaze, amaze.”
It’s a fan-favorite phrase from one of the movie’s characters, Rocky, who is an alien engineer from the planet Erid. The phrase arises when Ryan Gosling’s character, Ryland Grace, tries to use a translation system to understand Rocky’s language.
A rogue jar of Nutella got its 15 seconds of cosmic fame during NASA’s livestream of the Artemis II flyby mission. The hazelnut cocoa spread appeared to make a break for it after mission specialist Christina Koch was seen putting away a bag in what appeared to be a cabinet or cubby. The jar was seen floating past Koch, undetected, as the crew was focused on preparing for the seven-hour lunar flyby window.
From our view of the moon from Earth, it appears to be white with different variations of gray. The Artemis II astronauts describe the moon as a different color as they travel closer to the lunar surface, viewing it from the windows of the Orion spacecraft.
“Something I just heard from the window team is ‘the more I look at the moon, the browner and browner it looks,’” NASA astronaut Christina Koch told mission control.
The observations were made by NASA commander Reid Wiseman and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, as they were the first two to be stationed at Orion’s windows before switching with pilot Victor Glover and Koch.
Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch described to mission control just how bright tiny craters appear on the far side of the moon.
“When you look at the moon — something I’ve never seen in photographs before but is very apparent — all the really bright new craters, some of them are super tiny, most of them are pretty small, there’s a couple that really stand out, obviously. And what it really looks like is like a lampshade with tiny pinprick holes and the light shining through. They are so bright compared to the rest of the moon.”
According to mission control, the official lunar flyby is now underway, and the astronauts aboard the Artemis II have begun their observations of 30 surface targets.
They include the Orientale basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide crater that straddles the moon’s near and far sides, and the Hertzsprung basin, a roughly 400-mile crater on its far side.
Shortly after the Artemis II crew set a new record for the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen offered some name suggestions for relatively fresh craters on the moon that haven’t previously been named.
The first crater they proposed naming is in honor of their Orion spacecraft, Integrity, which is near the Ohm crater. The other crater they proposed naming Carroll, in honor of the late wife of Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman. “It’s a bright spot on the moon, and we would like to call that Carroll,” Hansen said, with his voice audibly shaky. Following the moment, the four astronauts were seen hugging each other, wiping away tears.
Moments after the Artemis II surpassed Apollo 13's record of 248,655 miles for the farthest distance from Earth traveled by humans, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen marked the milestone by reading a statement from the cabin of the Orion.
"As we surpass the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from planet Earth, we do so in honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration,” Hansen said. “We will continue our journey even further into space before Mother Earth succeeds in pulling us back to everything that we hold dear. But we, most importantly, choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived.”
The Artemis II crew will reach their maximum distance from Earth, an estimated 252,760 miles, later Monday.
The four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft concluded their pre-lunar flyby conference with Kelsey Young, the Artemis II lead scientist for lunar observations, by passing the microphone around with some final thoughts:
“We are just fired up to get started on this day,” NASA commander Reid Wiseman told Young.
“It is awesome to see this side of the moon,” mission specialist Christina Koch said. “You guys made us excited for this day and we couldn’t appreciate it anymore.”
Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency told Young, “It is blowing my mind what you can see with the naked eye from the moon right now. It is just unbelievable.”
On Monday, the four astronauts aboard NASA's Artemis II were awoken to the sounds of "Good Morning," a song by Mandisa and TobyMac, which was played by mission control.
It's been a tradition at NASA to play songs as wake-up calls for astronauts in space. Here's what the Artemis crew has heard so far:
Day 1: “Sleepyhead” by Young and Sick
Day 2: “Green Light” by John Legend and André 3000
Day 3: “In a Daydream” by the Freddy Jones Band
Day 4: “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan
Day 5: “Working Class Heroes (Work)” by CeeLo Green
Day 6: “Good Morning” by Mandisa and TobyMac
A pre-lunar flyby conference is currently underway between Artemis II science officer lead Kelsey Young and the four astronauts on the Orion spacecraft. Speaking from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Young is advising on camera setup and reminding the astronauts of the 30 lunar surface targets to capture. Young will also provide them with a target timeline, which will help them monitor the time they have to capture photos and observations of each lunar surface target.
The Artemis II crew is now just 13,000 miles away from the moon, and about half an hour from surpassing the record for the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth. That record, 248,655 miles, was set by Apollo 13 in 1970, according to NASA.
Those looking to watch live coverage of today’s historic trip around the moon have numerous options. According to NASA, the following platforms will have livestreams beginning at 1 p.m. ET:
That’s in addition to the NASA+ app and a live YouTube player, which will be embedded at the top of this page throughout the seven-hour lunar flyby.
There are 189 unique menu items the Artemis II astronauts have access to during their mission, according to NASA. “The food flying aboard Artemis II is designed to support crew health and performance during the mission around the Moon,” NASA said. “With no resupply, refrigeration, or late-load capability, all meals must be carefully selected to remain safe, shelf-stable, and easy to prepare and consume in NASA’s Orion spacecraft.
The menu includes more than 10 different types of beverages, ranging from mango-peach smoothies to coffee. Some of the most common food items include barbecued beef brisket, spicy green beans, tortillas and mango salad. When it comes to condiment favorites, there are five different types of hot sauces aboard the Orion spacecraft, as well as maple syrup, chocolate spread and peanut butter, to name a few.
“Food selections are developed in coordination with space food experts and the crew to balance calorie needs, hydration, and nutrient intake while accommodating individual crew preferences,” NASA’s website says.
Jim Lovell, a member of the Apollo 8 and 13 missions, recorded a special audio message for Artemis II and its crew before his death at age 97 last year.
According to NASA, this is Lovell's message, which was delivered to the crew on Monday:
“Hello, Artemis II! This is Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell. Welcome to my old neighborhood! When Frank Borman, Bill Anders and I orbited the moon on Apollo 8, we got humanity’s first up-close look at the moon and got a view of the home planet that inspired and united people around the world. I’m proud to pass that torch on to you — as you swing around the moon and lay the groundwork for missions to Mars … for the benefit of all. It’s a historic day, and I know how busy you’ll be. But don’t forget to enjoy the view. So, Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy and all the great teams supporting you — good luck and Godspeed from all of us here on the good Earth.”
