Moon Day, the most anticipated day of the Artemis II mission, with the breaking of the record for the furthest distance from Earth ever reached by a crewed spacecraft: the close flyby of the lunar surface and the direct observation of the far side of the Moon. Aboard the Orion spacecraft, astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen achieved the first record, breaking the record for the furthest distance from Earth previously held by the crew of the Apollo 13 mission. On Monday, April 6, at 1:56 p.m. EDT, the four astronauts aboard the US space agency's Artemis II mission, according to NASA, made history by reaching a distance of 252,756 miles (about 406,000 km) from Earth. This milestone means the Artemis II crew was 4,111 miles further from Earth than the Apollo 13 mission reached in 1970.

The astronauts asked permission to name two lunar craters. They proposed Integrity, the name of their capsule, and Carroll, in honor of Commander Reid Wiseman's wife, who passed away in 2020. Preparations for the long day that led the Artemis II astronauts to their lunar flyby around 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 7, began very early, around 7:00 a.m. Italian time, when the European Service Module (ESM) engine ignited to fine-tune Orion's trajectory toward the Moon. "Hello, Artemis 2, this is Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell. Welcome to what used to be my neighborhood," was the message that woke the astronauts, recorded by the Apollo 8 pilot in 2025, shortly before his death. "This is a historic day, and I know you'll be busy, but don't forget to enjoy the view."

The astronauts also performed a new test of the custom-made pressure suits called OCSs (Orion Crew Survival System), which can ensure survival for up to six days. They are essential during the dynamic phases of flight, such as launch and reentry, as well as in the event of cabin depressurization and after splashdown. The astronauts wore them to test both their seal and their freedom of movement, such as while sitting in the shuttle seat and while eating and drinking.

The day continued with preparations for lunar surface observation, which took them about seven hours. There were 35 points to study and photograph, including the landing sites of the Apollo 12 and Apollo 14 missions. There was also Mare Orientale, a crater over 900 kilometers in diameter located at the boundary between the nearside and farside of the Moon, which will be fully illuminated when Orion passes. On the farside of the Moon, the expected communications blackout with NASA control in Texas occurred, but resumed about 40 minutes later. "As we fired the engines toward the Moon, I said we weren't leaving Earth, and that's true," astronaut Christina Koch said when contact with Earth was reestablished. "We will explore, we will build spacecraft. We will return. We will build scientific bases... We will inspire, but we will always choose Earth."

The astronauts observed, in particular, the Hertzsprung crater, approximately 600 kilometers in diameter. It is during this period that Orion is expected to make its closest approach to the lunar surface, at 6,550 kilometers. Shortly thereafter, they witnessed an eclipse as the Moon obscured the Sun. At 3:20 a.m. (Italian time), observations of the lunar surface were completed, and at 8:25 a.m. (Italian time), Orion exited the lunar gravitational field, marking the beginning of its return journey to Earth. The Artemis II crew is scheduled to splash down off the coast of San Diego at approximately 8:07 p.m. (local time) on Friday, April 10.

(Unioneonline)

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