Artemis ii astronauts set to fly by moon on record-breaking journey
Nasa's Artemis II mission is poised to make history on Monday, with its four astronauts flying by the moon at a record-breaking distance of 8,047km (5,000 miles) beyond lunar orbit. The crew of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will surpass the Apollo 13 distance record of 400,171km (248,655 miles) set in 1970.
Orion capsule's moon flyby
During the six-hour lunar encounter, the astronauts will have a rare opportunity to observe the moon's far side, which was too dark or difficult to see during the Apollo missions more than half a century ago. They will also witness a total solar eclipse as the moon blocks the sun.
'We'll get eyes on the moon, kind of map it out and then continue to go back in force,' said flight director Judd Frieling.
Communication blackout
As Orion flies behind the moon, it will be out of contact with mission control for 40 minutes. Nasa is relying on its Deep Space Network to communicate with the crew, but the giant antennas in California, Spain and Australia won't have a direct line of sight. 'Physics takes over – and physics will absolutely get us back to the front side of the moon,' Frieling assured.
Astrophotography and future missions
During the flyby, the astronauts will take turns capturing stunning lunar views out their windows and will be able to make out 'definite chunks of the far side that have never been seen' by humans, according to Kelsey Young, Nasa's Artemis II lunar Science geologist.
The crew will also survey potential landing zones for future missions, including the mysterious Reiner Gamma formation – a bright lunar swirl associated with a localized magnetic anomaly – and photograph Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn at sunrise and sunset.
Furthermore, they will attempt to recreate the iconic Earthrise image, taken from lunar orbit by astronaut William Anders on 24 December 1968 during the Apollo 8 mission, which inspired the environmental movement. There are hopes the new photo can have a similar unifying effect.
Once the capsule rounds the moon, it will take four days to return to Earth. Nasa is aiming for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego on 10 April, nine days after its Florida launch.