🇺🇸 · Huntsville Alabama L5 Society (HAL5) - Project HALO · National Space Society
By Burt Dicht NSS Space Coast Correspondent Artemis II Dashboard (as of 11:30 am EDT) THE HISTORIC LUNAR FLYBY Flight Day 6 in deep space — The Artemis II mission completed a historic seven-hour lunar flyby — humanity’s first return to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, capturing images of the lunar far side. RECORD BROKEN: FARTHEST HUMANS HAVE EVER TRAVELED FROM EARTH At 1:56 p.m. EDT, the Artemis II crew surpassed the distance record for human spaceflight’s farthest distance from Earth, eclipsing the Apollo 13 record of 248,655 miles set in 1970. The spacecraft reached a maximum distance of 252,760 miles from Earth. Following the milestone, CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen delivered emotional remarks from aboard Orion: “From the cabin of Integrity here, as we surpass the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from planet Earth, we do so in honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration. We will continue our journey even further into space before Mother Earth succeeds in pulling us back to everything that we hold dear. But we most importantly choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived.” THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON — THROUGH HUMAN EYES FOR THE FIRST TIME NASA astronaut Christina Koch described seeing the Moon out Orion’s window and sensing something different from what she’d always known on Earth. “The darker parts just aren’t quite in the right place,” she said. “And something about your senses that is not the moon that I’m used to seeing.” She and the crew compared their views to their study materials, with Koch noting: “That is the dark side. That is something we have never seen before.” Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen radioed back with pure excitement during observations: “It is blowing my mind what you can see with the naked eye from the Moon right now. It is just unbelievable.” Christina Koch offered a vivid description of the lunar craters : “What it really looks like is like a lampshade with tiny pinprick holes and the light shining through. They are so bright compared to the rest of the Moon.” Lunar science lead Kelsey Young responded with elation from Mission Control: “ Oh my gosh, that was an amazing picture you just painted. Those types of observations are things that humans are uniquely able to contribute, and you just really brought us along with you.” HOW THE CREW OBSERVED THE MOON — TEAMS, TOOLS & TARGETING The seven-hour observation period was a carefully choreographed scientific operation, years in the making — not just four astronauts gazing out a window. Working in Pairs The crew worked in pairs throughout the flyby, beginning with Wiseman and Hansen at the windows. One astronaut was tasked with taking photos while the other provided naked-eye descriptions of features on the lunar surface. After about an hour, the pairs would switch to keep everyone refreshed and focused across the full seven-hour event. At any given time, the photographer used a blue shroud to prevent reflections and a zoom lens, while the observer used a portable computing device to make written annotations — with both astronauts also making audio recordings of what they were seeing. The pair not at the windows used the downtime to eat, exercise, or prepare for their next shift. The crew carried three cameras: two Nikon D5 DSLRs and a Nikon Z9 mirrorless camera added at nearly the last moment. Each press of the shutter produced three exposures at different brightness levels to ensure at least one image would turn out well, and they used a 400-millimeter lens to capture as much lunar detail as possible. The Lunar Targeting Plan Custom software built specifically for Artemis II guided every shift. The Lunar Targeting Plan was fine-tuned to the exact lighting conditions on the Moon’s surface during the flyby and to the crew’s precise viewing angle as Orion hurtled through space. Like a spacewalk plan, it provided strong, detailed guidance while leaving flexibility for real-time decisions. Targets were prioritized by both scientific value and visibility at the moment of observation. The final list contained 30 targets spanning 10 science objectives, with key focus areas including the Orientale and Hertzsprung impact basins on the far side. One major advantage over robotic missions: by observing the same targets more than once at different points during the flyby, the crew could document features under shifting illumination conditions, something that would take an orbiting spacecraft weeks or months to replicate. How Did They Do? A lively stream of observations was received with grins, nods, and lots of chatter in the Science Evaluation Room. The crew reported color nuances that will help enhance scientific understanding of the Moon. Standout moments included Glover radioing his fascination with the lunar terminator — “There’s just so much magic in the terminator — the islands of light, the valleys that look like black holes,” and providing Mission Control with critical topography comparisons between the lunar north and south poles to inform future landing missions. Koch offered sharp scientific observations from her very first moments at the window, noting the Earth’s noticeably higher brightness compared to the Moon while both were simultaneously visible, a genuine comparative data point for scientists. The science team will debrief fully with the crew on Tuesday, April 7. Scientists are already reviewing imagery, audio, and other data to determine the best times and locations of meteoroid impact flashes and will seek input from amateur observers who were watching the Moon at the same time. COMMUNICATIONS BLACKOUT — 40 MINUTES OF SILENCE As Orion traveled behind the Moon, the crew witnessed an “Earthset” — the moment Earth dropped below the lunar horizon. Orion entered a planned communications blackout from 6:44 to 7:25 p.m. EDT as it passed out of Earth’s direct line of sight. The first photo from the far side of the Moon captured from Orion showed Earth dipping beyond the lunar horizon — an “Earthset” bearing a striking resemblance to the iconic “Earthrise” photo taken during Apollo 8 in 1968 (see featured photo at top of blog). When communications were restored, Koch captured the emotion of the moment: “It is so great to hear from Earth again. We will always choose Earth; we will always choose each other.” SOLAR ECLIPSE FROM DEEP SPACE After emerging from behind the Moon, the crew observed a total solar eclipse from 8:35 to 9:32 p.m. as Orion, the Moon, and the Sun aligned. The crew used the opportunity to study the solar corona glowing around the lunar edge and watch for flashes from meteoroid impacts on the surface. Pilot Victor Glover described the breathtaking sight: “We just went sci-fi. It just looks unreal.” Commander Wiseman described it as the surprise of the day: “ We just came out of an eclipse. We could see the corona of the sun, and then we could see the planet train line up with Mars. And all of us commented how excited we are to watch this nation and this planet become a two-planet species.” A TOUCHING TRIBUTE — TWO CRATERS NAMED The crew suggested naming two craters on the Moon. The first was named after their spacecraft, Integrity. The second honored Commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll, who passed away in 2020 after a battle with cancer. Jeremy Hansen, visibly emotional, announced it: “ We lost a loved one. Her name was Carroll. The spouse of Reid, the mother of Katie and Ellie. It’s a bright spot on the moon. And we would like to call it Carroll.” The crew shared a long group hug afterward UNDERSTANDING THE FREE RETURN TRAJECTORY “Please be informed there is a Santa Claus.” Those famous words were uttered by Jim Lovell, who was reporting to Mission Control that Apollo 8’s Service Propulsion System had successfully completed its Trans-Earth Injection (TEI) burn. The burn was performed while the spacecraft was out of radio contact behind the Moon. When the spacecraft came back into view of Earth and communications resumed with NASA’s Mission Control Center, Lovell calmly reported in his own unforgettable way that the burn had been successful, much to the jubilation of those in mission control. Unlike Orion’s free-return trajectory, Apollo 8 had actually left the free-return path once it entered lunar orbit. That meant the crew had to fire the Service Propulsion Engine to leave lunar orbit and begin the journey home. If the engine had not fired correctly, the crew could have been stranded in lunar orbit. The Artemis II mission was designed differently from Apollo 8 and represented one of the most elegant ideas in spaceflight. Rather than entering lunar orbit and then requiring a powered burn to begin the journey home, Orion traveled on what NASA called a free-return trajectory — a carefully planned loop that allowed the gravity of the Moon to bring the spacecraft back home. A simple way to picture it was to imagine throwing a ball past a corner so perfectly that the curve of the wall sent it arcing back toward you. In this case, the “wall” was the Moon’s gravity. After launch, Orion first circled Earth while the crew and mission controllers verified that every system was working properly. Once everything checked out, the spacecraft performed a major burn that sent it out toward the Moon. From that point forward, the trajectory itself did much of the work. As Orion approached the Moon, it did not enter orbit. Instead, it swung around the far side in a graceful arc. The Moon’s gravity bent its path, turning the spacecraft back toward Earth. It became a vast celestial loop — almost like drawing a figure eight between Earth and the Moon. What made this especially remarkable was that this path also served as a built-in safety feature. Even if Orion had lost major propulsion capability after leaving Earth orbit, the laws of celestial mechanics would still have carried the crew around the Moon and back home. In a very real sense, gravity became part of the mission’s safety system. For those of us who grew up in the Apollo era, watching Artemis trace this path around the Moon was profoundly moving. The hardware was new, the spacecraft was different, but the sense of wonder was the same. More than fifty years later, humanity once again reached beyond Earth, reminding us that the dream that began with Apollo still lives on. WHAT’S NEXT — FLIGHT DAY 7 PREVIEW The crew’s wake-up time was 11:35 a.m. EDT. Today is a science downlink day, the astronauts will meet and conference with the Artemis II Lunar Science Team to discuss and review all of their observations from yesterday’s flyby, while the experience is still fresh in their minds Orion will exit the lunar sphere of influence in the afternoon, at which point Earth’s gravity will once again have a stronger pull on the spacecraft than the Moon’s. NASA That exit is expected at approximately 1:25 p.m. EDT, at a distance of 41,072 miles from the Moon. In the second half of the day, Orion’s engine will fire for the first of three return trajectory correction burns, adjusting the spacecraft’s path for the journey home. The rest of the day will be largely off-duty for the crew, giving them a chance to rest before their final tasks ahead of reentry. Splashdown remains on track for approximately 8:07 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 10, off the coast of San Diego, where recovery teams will retrieve the crew by helicopter and deliver them to the USS John P. Murtha.
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