The Artemis II mission is predicted to finish a record-breaking lunar flyby today.
The Canadian Space Agency says astronaut Jeremy Hansen and his three American crewmates are set to turn into the space explorers who could have ventured farther into space than anyone before, surpassing a record set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
NASA says the estimated maximum distance from Earth during today’s flyby by the Orion spacecraft will exceed 406,000 kilometres, beating the 400,171 kilometres set by Apollo 13.
When Orion passes behind the moon, the spacecraft will enter a communications blackout of about 40 minutes because the lunar surface blocks radio signals.
Later, it’ll come as close as about 6,500 km to the moon’s surface, and from that vantage point Hansen has said the moon will appear like a basketball held at arm’s length.
For a little bit over five hours, the crew is predicted to take turns observing and photographing geological features on the moon, like impact craters and ancient lava flows.
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“The crew will make their lunar observations with real-time data evaluation, guidance provided by a team of scientists and the knowledge acquired through their geology training in Labrador, Iceland and in school to explain surface textures, shapes, and hues, providing worthwhile data for future exploration of the moon,” reads a news release from the Canadian Space Agency.
The flyby guarantees views of the moon’s far side that were too dark or too difficult to see by the 24 Apollo astronauts who preceded them.
NASA says the Orientale basin, a 3.8-billion-year-old crater that formed when a big object struck the lunar surface, will likely be fully illuminated and visual as Orion approaches.
On Tuesday, Orion will leave the lunar sphere of influence en route back to Earth.
Apollo 13’s astronauts missed out on a moon landing when considered one of their oxygen tanks ruptured on the way in which there. Mission Control pivoted to a free-return lunar trajectory to get them home as fast and efficiently as possible. This routing relies on the gravity of Earth and the moon, and minimal fuel.
Artemis II’s astronauts are following the identical figure-eight path since they’re neither orbiting the moon nor landing on it.
The capsule will aim for a splashdown within the Pacific near San Diego on April 10, nine days after its Florida launch.
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