Historic flight: Artemis II breaks Apollo 13’s distance record with Moon flyby

HOUSTON, April 7: After travelling deeper into space than any other humans, the Artemis II astronauts pointed their ship toward home on Monday night, wrapping up a lunar cruise that revealed views of the far side never beheld by eyes until now.
Their flyby of the Moon – NASA’s first return since the Apollo era – even included some celestial sightseeing besides yielding rich science. It was a significant step toward landing boot prints near the Moon’s South Pole in just two years.
A total solar eclipse greeted the three Americans and one Canadian as the Moon temporarily blocked the sun from their perspective. Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn nodded at them from the black void. The landing sites of Apollo 12 and 14 were also visible, poignant reminders of NASA’s first age of exploration more than half a century ago.
In an especially riveting retro throwback, Artemis II shattered the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. NASA’s Orion capsule reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometres) from Earth before hanging a U-turn behind the Moon, 4,101 miles (6,600 kilometres) farther than Apollo 13.
Artemis II is using the same manoeuvre that Apollo 13 did after its “Houston, we’ve had a problem” oxygen tank explosion wiped out any hope of a Moon landing.
Known as a free-return lunar trajectory, this no-stopping-to-land route takes advantage of Earth and the Moon’s gravity, reducing the need for fuel. It’s a celestial figure-eight that put the astronauts on course for home once they emerged from behind the Moon on Monday evening.
Artemis II’s lunar fly-around and intense observation period lasted seven hours, by far the highlight of the nearly 10-day test flight that will end with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Friday.
Venturing as close as 4,067 miles (6,545 kilometres) to the grey dusty surface, the astronauts zipped through a list of more than two dozen targets, using powerful Nikon cameras as well as their iPhones to zoom in on impact craters and other intriguing lunar features.
The Artemis II astronauts made their closest approach to the Moon and reached their maximum distance from Earth while they were out of contact. Their speed at closest approach: 5,052 kmph. The craft accelerated as it appeared from behind the Moon, and the planned communications blackout was initiated, and it made tracks for Earth. An Earthrise came into view, showing Asia, Africa and Oceania as Mission Control called out: “We are Earthbound and ready to bring you home.”
Flight controllers in Houston flipped their mission patches over to signify the return leg.
President Donald Trump phoned the astronauts following the flyby, calling them “modern-day pioneers.”
Artemis II is NASA’s first astronaut moonshot since Apollo 17 in 1972. It sets the stage for next year’s Artemis III, which will see another Orion crew practice docking with lunar landers in orbit around Earth. The culminating moon landing by two astronauts near the Moon’s South Pole will follow on Artemis IV in 2028. (AP)