Artemis II Crew Sets Distance Record

On Monday, the Artemis II crew made headlines by traveling a record-breaking distance from Earth—252,756 miles. This achievement surpasses the previous record of 248,655 miles held by Apollo 13 back in 1970.

The astronauts involved include NASA’s Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. While orbiting the moon aboard the Orion spacecraft, they flew within 4,070 miles of the lunar surface, briefly losing communication for about 40 minutes while passing behind the moon.

Aside from setting a distance record, NASA reported that the crew also made “important scientific observations” of the moon’s far side. They even took some time to “tentatively name” a few of the craters they encountered.

As the crew started their journey back to Earth, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman informed them of a standby call.

President Donald Trump expressed his pride, stating, “Today you made history and made all of America really proud. We have a lot to be proud of these days, but none more so than what you’re doing: orbiting the moon for the first time in over half a century.”

He also acknowledged astronaut Hanson, saying his fellow Canadians were proud of him. The president emphasized that the United States is a “frontier nation,” calling the Artemis II crew “modern-day pioneers.” He remarked that while such missions are rare now, they are likely to become routine as humanity plans further travels, including to Mars.

According to Trump, the Artemis II mission is set for a future return to the moon, adding, “This time we will not only leave a footprint; we will establish a permanent presence on the moon.”

Commander Reed Wiseman, hailing from Baltimore, shared with Trump that the call was “certainly special for all of us.” He mentioned two standout moments from the mission: observing a solar eclipse and spotting Mars. He remarked, “We all commented on how excited we were to see this country and this Earth become a two-planet species.”

Koch highlighted her biggest memory as seeing Earth again after passing the moon, stating, “This is a reminder of how special a place we are and how important it is for our nation to lead rather than follow in deep space exploration.”

The president has plans to invite the astronauts to the White House for autographs when they return.