Artemis II Crew Head for Home after Travelling Further from Earth Than Anyone Before
- The Artemis II crew travelled 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing the Apollo 13 record
- Orion temporarily lost contact with Earth while passing behind the Moon, as expected
- Astronauts observed a total solar eclipse and relayed scientific data back to mission control
The Artemis II crew is heading back to Earth after completing a historic lunar fly-by, having travelled farther from home than any humans in history.
The Orion spacecraft reached 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing the Apollo 13 record of 248,655 miles set in 1970.
Source: Original
According to BBC, the journey back will take approximately four days, with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of the United States scheduled for 20:07 eastern time on 10 April.
Helicopters will retrieve the astronauts and transport them to a nearby Navy ship for medical checks before heading to shore.
Record-breaking distance achieved by Orion crew
Mission control marked a busy and thrilling day as the astronauts orbited past the Moon. During the fly-by, the spacecraft temporarily lost contact with Earth for around 40 minutes as it passed behind the lunar surface, a planned event.
“Houston, Integrity, comms check,” mission specialist Christina Koch said upon re-establishing communication, adding it was “so great to hear the Earth again.”
While behind the Moon, Orion reached its maximum distance, setting a new human spaceflight record.
The crew also observed a total solar eclipse, photographing the event and relaying descriptions to Nasa scientists in Houston. Dr Nicola Fox, Nasa’s head of science, called the observation “surreal” and praised the astronauts for their precise reporting and scientific work.
Source: Original
Gravity guides spacecraft back to Earth
Retired astronaut Terry Virts explained that Orion’s trajectory relied on the Moon’s gravity to slingshot the spacecraft toward Earth.
“They are in deep space with no way to be rescued, getting the harshest radiation that doesn’t exist on Earth, surrounded by instant death just a few millimetres outside that thin aluminium shell,” he said.
“Sir Isaac Newton is in charge—gravity is manoeuvring the capsule now.”
The Artemis II mission is part of Nasa’s long-term goal to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon. Dr Fox said Artemis IV, set to launch in early 2028, will return humans to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972, paving the way for eventual missions to Mars.
As of 09:30 BST, the spacecraft remained about 244,200 miles from Earth. By the end of the mission, the crew will have travelled more than 695,000 miles in total, completing a landmark chapter in human space exploration.
Astronauts share images of Earth
In an earlier report, NASA has released a series of high-resolution images of Earth taken by the Artemis II crew after reaching the halfway point between the planet and the Moon.
The photographs, described by the agency as “spectacular”, were captured by mission commander Reid Wiseman following a crucial engine burn that placed the Orion spacecraft on course towards the Moon.
Source: Legit.ng
