Artemis II crew describe ‘overwhelming’ emotions after soaring past the moon

NASA's Artemis II astronauts shared their powerful emotions after flying past the moon. They photographed craters, cracks, and ridges, then began their journey back to Earth.

The crew captured images of Earth rising behind the moon, a solar eclipse, and parts of the 590-mile (950km) wide Orientale impact basin. Some areas had never been seen by the naked eye. Future images might explain the brown, green, and orange colors the astronauts reported on the moon's grayish surface. They might also show faint layers of moondust visible during Earthrise.

A Journey Around the Moon

The four astronauts swung around the far side of the moon, losing contact with mission control for 40 minutes. They are now heading back to Earth. The quarter-million-mile return trip will end with a splashdown near San Diego on Friday at 8:07 PM US eastern time.

Christina Koch, the first woman to fly around the moon, described seeing the lunar surface up close. She felt an "overwhelming sense of being moved." Koch was especially struck by bright new craters that shone like "pinpricks in a lampshade."

Victor Glover, the first Black man to travel beyond low Earth orbit, also found the view "very moving." He imagined "walking around down there on the surface, climbing and off-roading on that amazing terrain."

The Orion spacecraft launched on April 1 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It used NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. The crew includes NASA astronauts Koch, Glover, and Wiseman, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

Discoveries and Records

During a phone call, Donald Trump asked the astronauts about the difference between the moon's near and far sides. Hansen explained that Earth's gravity has greatly affected the near side, creating the dark patches seen from Earth. The far side is very different, with fewer of these patches and deep craters.

Glover described the 40-minute communication blackout. He said he "said a little prayer" but then focused on recording scientific observations of the far side. This was when they were farthest from Earth and closest to the moon, allowing for detailed observations.

Wiseman described seeing an eclipse where the moon blocked the sun. They could see the sun's corona and the planets Mars lining up. He noted the crew's excitement for humanity to become a "two-planet species."

On Monday, the crew broke the record for the farthest human travel from Earth, reaching 252,756 miles. This surpassed Apollo 13's 1970 record of 248,655 miles. At their closest, the Artemis II crew came within 4,070 miles of the moon's surface.

NASA flight controllers in Houston marked the return trip by flipping their mission patches. The new patch showed the moon behind Earth.

Scientific Observations and Future Steps

NASA flight director Rick Henfling announced that the mission left the moon's gravitational influence and was back under Earth's control. Each crew member will have family calls and medical checks.

Kelsey Young, the mission's lunar science lead, noted that the crew observed four to six "impact flashes" during a 30-minute period, mostly during the eclipse. These flashes are caused by micrometeorite impacts and help scientists understand the moon's dynamic environment.

The crew also observed colors on the moon, including green around the Aristarchus plateau and different brown hues. These colors provide clues about the chemistry of lunar material.

The mission's optical communication system worked well. The ground team received 20 gigabytes of data from the crew in just over 45 minutes. This is much more data than the S-band radio system provides.

The capsule will return to Earth after releasing its service module. Re-entry is a risky stage, as the capsule will hit the atmosphere at over 20,000 mph. Its heat shield will reach temperatures above 1,600C (2,900F).