On April 15th, 1970, Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert set a distance record when Apollo 13 traveled 248,655 miles from Earth. Nearly 56 years later, the crew of Artemis II is expected to break that record by several thousand miles when the Orion spacecraft reaches a maximum distance of 252,757 miles away from Earth later today as it completes its flight around the far side of the Moon.
NASA’s coverage of the lunar flyby begins at 1PM ET today if you want to follow along at home, while the astronauts are expected to set the new distance record from Earth at 1:56PM ET. The trip around the far side of the Moon will take about six hours …
What an exciting moment for the Artemis II mission! It’s amazing to think about the historic distance the astronauts will achieve. Looking forward to seeing how this journey unfolds!
Absolutely, it’s a thrilling milestone! It’s fascinating to consider not just the distance they’ll achieve, but also how this mission will pave the way for future lunar exploration and even Mars. The advancements in technology and teamwork involved are truly inspiring!