Artemis II breaks Apollo 13’s distance record with daring moon flyby
that included a solar eclipse
[April 07, 2026]
By MARCIA DUNN
HOUSTON (AP) — After traveling deeper into space than any other humans,
the Artemis II astronauts pointed their moonship toward home 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 also were 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 kilometers) from Earth before
hanging a U-turn behind the moon, 4,101 miles (6,600 kilometers) farther
than Apollo 13.
“It is blowing my mind what you can see with the naked eye from the moon
right now. It is just unbelievable,” Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen
radioed. He challenged “this generation and the next to make sure this
record is not long-lived.”
Artemis II astronauts get an Apollo wake-up message
Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell wished the crew well in a recording made
two months before his death last August. Mission Control beamed up his
message to commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch
and Hansen, before their fly-around began.
“Welcome to my old neighborhood,” said Lovell, who also flew on Apollo
8, humanity’s first lunar visit. “It’s a historic day and I know how
busy you’ll be, but don’t forget to enjoy the view.”
The Artemis II astronauts carried up with them the Apollo 8 silk patch
that accompanied Lovell to the moon. “It’s just a real honor to have
that on board with us,” Wiseman said.
Artemis II is using the same maneuver 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 Monday evening.
Astronauts lock in on lunar observations
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 on Friday.
Venturing as close as 4,067 miles (6,545 kilometers) to the gray 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.
Before getting started, they requested permission to name two bright,
freshly carved craters. They suggested Integrity, the name of their
capsule, and Carroll, commander Wiseman’s wife, who died of cancer in
2020.
Wiseman wept as Hansen put in the request to Mission Control, and all
four astronauts embraced in tears.
“Such a majestic view out here,” Wiseman radioed once he regained his
composure and started picture-taking. The astronauts called down that
they managed to capture the moon and Earth in the same shot, and they
provided a running commentary to scientists back in Houston on what they
were seeing.
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In this photo provided by NASA, Artemis II commander and NASA
astronaut Reid Wiseman looks out one of the Orion spacecraft's main
cabin windows at the Moon ahead of the crew's lunar flyby on April
6, 2026. (NASA via AP)
At one point, Koch reported an overwhelming sensation of emotion for
a second or two while zooming in on the moon. “Something just drew
me in suddenly to the lunar landscape and it became real,” she said.
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: 3,139 mph (5,052 kph). The
spacecraft accelerated as it appeared from behind the moon and the
planned communications blackout and 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.”
“Today you’ve made history and made all America really proud,
incredibly proud,” the president said, adding that more lunar
traveling is coming and ultimately "the whole big trip to Mars.”
Wiseman and his crew spent years studying lunar geography to prepare
for the big event, adding solar eclipses to their repertoire during
the past few weeks. By launching last Wednesday, they ensured
themselves of a total solar eclipse from their vantage point behind
the moon, courtesy of the cosmos.
Topping their science target list: Orientale Basin, a sprawling
impact basin with three concentric rings, the outermost of which
stretches nearly 600 miles (950 kilometers) across.
Their moon mentor, NASA geologist Kelsey Young, expects thousands of
pictures.
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.
While Artemis II may be taking Apollo 13’s path, it’s most
reminiscent of Apollo 8 and humanity’s first lunar visitors who
orbited the moon on Christmas Eve 1968 and read from the Book of
Genesis.
Glover said flying to the moon during Christianity’s Holy Week
brought home for him “the beauty of creation.” Earth is an oasis
amid “a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe”
where humanity exists as one, he observed over the weekend.
“This is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are,
and that we are the same thing and that we’ve got to get through
this together,” Glover said, clasping hands with his crewmates.
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