Live: Artemis II astronauts make historic moon flyby
6 hours ago
- #space exploration
- #NASA
- #moon mission
- Artemis II astronauts began a six-hour lunar flyby, marking NASA's first crewed return to the moon since the Apollo era.
- The crew set a new distance record from Earth, surpassing Apollo 13's previous record by over 4,100 miles.
- Astronauts proposed naming two lunar craters 'Integrity' (after their capsule) and 'Carroll' (in honor of commander Reid Wiseman's late wife).
- The mission uses a free-return lunar trajectory, similar to Apollo 13, leveraging gravity for a fuel-efficient journey.
- Key observation targets included Orientale Basin, Apollo landing sites, and the moon's south polar region for future missions.