The Artemis II manned mission completed a lunar flyby, during which the crew set a new record for the farthest human spaceflight from Earth. This was announced during a NASA live broadcast, where astronaut Christina Koch shared details of the flight.
During the mission, the Orion spacecraft traveled approximately 400,000 kilometers from our planet. With this, Artemis II officially surpassed the previous record for the farthest human spaceflight, set by the Apollo 13 crew back in 1970.
After completing the lunar flyby, the crew contacted Mission Control again. There was no contact for approximately 40 minutes, as the spacecraft was located beyond the far side of the Moon, in the radio shadow zone. Immediately after reestablishing contact, Christina Koch addressed the people of Earth with an emotional speech. She emphasized that the mission symbolized not a separation from our home planet, but a conscious choice in its favor.
According to the astronaut, humanity will continue to explore space, develop new technologies and spacecraft, and advance scientific fields, including the exploration of other planets and radio astronomy.
Koch emphasized the importance of international cooperation and joining forces for the future. She emphasized that despite the development of the space industry and the creation of new projects, people will always remember their connection to Earth and to each other.
The mission crew included Commander Reed Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Gansen.
The Orion spacecraft has now completed its orbit around the Moon and is on course to return to Earth.
This flight marked the first human journey to the Moon in half a century and is seen as an important step in preparing for future missions to land astronauts on the Moon as part of the NASA program.
As a reminder, the cause of Saturn’s magnetic field imbalance has been identified.
To be continued…
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