Artemis II Astronauts Set to Break Distance Record on Historic Lunar Flyby

Launched last week on humanity’s first journey to the Moon since 1972, three Americans and one Canadian are pursuing Apollo 13’s maximum range from Earth. That will make them our planet’s farthest ambassadors as they circle the moon non-stop on Monday and then head back home.

Moon flights of about six hours promise views of the far side of the moon that were either too dark or too difficult for the 24 Apollo astronauts who came before them to see. As the moon blocks the sun, revealing glowing corona particles, a total solar eclipse awaits them.

“We’ll set our sights on the moon, map it, and then keep going back,” flight director Judd Frieling said. The goal is a moon base filled with landers, rovers, drones and habitats.

A look at Artemis II’s up-close and personal encounter with another world, our constant companion, the moon.

Apollo 13 holds the record for distance to Earth

The astronauts of Apollo 13 missed the opportunity to land on the moon in 1970 when one of their oxygen tanks ruptured en route.

With the lives of three men in danger, Mission Control turned to a free-return lunar orbit to get them home as quickly and efficiently as possible. This orientation relies on the gravity of the Earth and moon and minimal fuel.

It worked on Apollo 13, turning it into NASA’s biggest “successful failure.” (FYI, flight director Gene Kranz never said, “Failure is not an option.” This phrase is pure Hollywood and comes from the 1995 biopic starring Tom Hanks.)

How Artemis II will surpass Apollo 13 Commanders Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert reached a maximum distance of 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) from Earth before making life-saving U-turns on Apollo 13.

Artemis II’s astronauts follow the same figure-eight path, as they neither orbit the moon nor land on it. But their distance to Earth must exceed that of Apollo 13 by more than 4,100 miles (6,600 kilometers).

Artemis II’s Christina Koch said late last week that she and her teammates weren’t living with superiority, but that this was an important milestone “that people can understand and ponder,” connecting the past with the present and even the future when new records are set.

Artemis II astronauts take shifts to see the best moon views During the flight, the astronauts will split into pairs and take turns capturing moon views from their windows with cameras. At closest approach, they will come within 4,070 miles (6,550 kilometers) of the moon.

Since they depart on April 1, the far side of the rendezvous will not be as illuminated as on other dates. But NASA geologist Kelsey Young said the crew could still make out “certain pieces that have never been seen by people on the far side,” including a significant portion of the Orientale Basin.

They will note their observations while photographing grey, floral-patterned scenes. There are professional-quality cameras on board, and each astronaut also has an iPhone for more informal, spontaneous photo-taking.

Young’s team created lunar geography flashcards for astronauts to study before the flight.

“They’ve practiced visualizing the Moon for many, many, many months, and as they set their sights on the real thing, I’m really, really looking forward to seeing them bring the moon a little closer to home on Monday,” he said over the weekend.

A total solar eclipse is expected during the passage of the moon. The upside of the launch on April 1 is the total solar eclipse. While the eclipse won’t be visible from Earth — only from the Orion capsule — it will offer astronauts a few minutes of view of the corona, the sun’s outermost, radiating atmosphere.

Astronauts will be alert for any unusual solar activity during the eclipse and will use their “unique vantage points” to identify features of the solar corona, or corona, Young said.

All four astronauts packed eclipse glasses to protect their eyes.

How long does the brief dimming behind the moon last? While behind the moon, Orion will remain uncommunicative with Mission Control for approximately an hour. The same thing happened during the Apollo moon shots.

NASA is using the Deep Space Network to communicate with the crew, but giant antennas in California, Spain and Australia won’t have direct line of sight if Orion disappears behind the moon for about 40 minutes.

These communication blackouts were always a tense time during Apollo, but as Frieling points out, “physics comes into play, and physics will definitely take us back to the front of the moon.”

After passing by the moon, Artemis II heads home. Once Artemis II leaves the moon quarter, it will take four days to get home. The capsule will aim to make a splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego on April 10, nine days after its launch in Florida.

During the return flight, the astronauts will communicate via radio with the orbiting International Space Station crew. This is the first time a lunar crew has had counterparts in space at the same time, and NASA can’t pass up the opportunity for a cosmic chat. The conversation will include both members of the first all-female spacewalk in 2019: Koch on Orion and Jessica Meir on the station.