NASA's Artemis 2 four astronauts are approaching the Moon, with the mission's climax set for Monday's flyby of its far side, the first since Apollo 8 58 years ago. They may view regions never seen by human eyes, such as Mare Orientale. The crew will set a new record for distance from Earth.
On Sunday, astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen rest in the Orion spacecraft, traveling over 4,000 km/h. NASA plans to wake them at 11:50 local time, nearly 6:00 p.m. in Spain. Live images show Glover floating while drinking and Koch managing trash bags with Houston control.
On Monday, they will enter the Moon's sphere of influence after a nearly six-minute engine burn placing them on translunar orbit. They have covered half the distance, and the Moon will soon appear basketball-sized at arm's length. It is a 10-day round trip without landing, the first step toward a 2028 landing.
Unlike Apollo 8, which orbited at 120 km, Artemis 2 will fly by at 4,000 km, allowing views from pole to pole, including the Aitken basin and Shackleton crater at the south pole. They will observe Mare Orientale, an impact basin from 3.8 billion years ago with high concentric mountain rings invisible from Earth. Human eyes discern terrain details faster than photos, NASA highlights.
For about six hours of observations, they will use cameras and describe sights, supported by scientists at Johnson Space Center. Glover, the first Black man to go to the Moon, will photograph his crewmates' reactions, he told The New York Times. Koch, the first woman, will identify her feelings of awe and unity.
They will reach 406,772 km from Earth, exceeding Apollo 13's record by over 6,000 km. Communications will black out for 40 minutes behind the far side.
