Artemis II Moon flyby complete with distance record and visuals
Key Questions
What distance record did the Artemis II crew break?
The Artemis II crew set a new record for the farthest crewed flight from Earth at 252,000 miles (406,000 km), surpassing Apollo 13's previous record of 248,000 miles. This occurred during their mission around the far side of the Moon.
What was the trajectory and closest approach during the Artemis II Moon flyby?
The crew performed a figure-8 flyby of the Moon's far side on April 6 at an altitude of 4,000 miles. On Day 4, they were 169,000 miles from Earth and 110,000 miles from the Moon, traveling at 40,000 km/h.
What types of photos were captured during the Artemis II lunar flyby?
New photos include far-side craters like Orientale, images named after astronaut Reid Wiseman, earthset, earthrise, eclipse corona, meteor flashes, a tiny blue dot, shadows, and an Easter message. These were beamed to Earth using digital handheld cameras.
How far is the Artemis II spacecraft currently from Earth and the Moon?
As of the latest tracker, the spacecraft is approximately 234,000 miles from Earth and 38,000 miles behind the Moon. The crew is on their way back for a planned splashdown before April 10.
What communication advancements were used during Artemis II?
The mission utilized laser communications, transmitting 100 GB of data per day. Live streams, briefings, and telemetry updates are available from April 7 onward.
How does the Artemis II distance compare to Apollo 13?
Artemis II reached 252,000 miles from Earth, exceeding Apollo 13's record of 248,000 miles. This achievement highlights advancements in human spaceflight capabilities beyond previous lunar missions.
What unique views of the eclipse did Artemis II capture?
The eclipse viewed from Artemis II differs from Earth-based observations due to the spacecraft's distance, where the Moon's distance to Earth and Sun approximates the relative sizes of the Sun and Moon. Photos include the eclipse corona.
What Earth-Moon scale insights does Artemis II provide?
The mission boosts understanding of Earth-Moon scales compared to near-Earth objects (NEOs), Psyche at 2 AU, and Mars. It ties into Moon FAQs, eclipse angular size, and human limits charts.
Artemis II confirmed 252k mi/406k km record (beyond Apollo 13 248k mi), figure-8 far-side flyby Apr 6 at 4k mi alt (Day 4 169k mi from Earth/110k mi to Moon, 40k km/h); new photos include far-side craters/Orientale/Wiseman/earthset/earthrise/eclipse corona/meteor flashes/tiny blue dot/shadows/Easter message, laser comms 100GB/day, current tracker ~234k mi Earth/38k mi Moon behind, Apr7+ streams/briefings/telemetry pre-Apr10 splashdown. Boosts Earth-Moon scales vs NEOs/Psyche 2 AU/Mars lake; ties to Moon FAQs/eclipse angular size/human limits charts.