Artemis 2 astronauts set incredible record as they travel deeper into space than any human ever has
The astronauts aboard the Orion capsule have now completed their flyby of the Moon and have started to make their way back home.
And in doing so, the team have set a new record by traveling deeper into space than any human ever has before.
The Artemis II crew is made up of four astronauts including NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
This mission marks the first time humans have ventured to the Moon in over half a century when the Apollo programme ended in 1972.
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The record for the furthest traveled in space was previously set by the Apollo 13 crew who went as far as 248,655 miles away from Earth.
But this has now been broken by Artemis II after their capsule reached the 252,756-mile mark last night before embarking on their return journey.
A live stream of Orion flying past the Moon was broadcast last night, showing the moment where the crew lost all contact with mission control on the ground.
This occurred when Artemis II moved behind the Moon for 40 minutes before slingshotting back towards Earth.
After initially launching last Wednesday (April 1) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the team is expected to splash down on Friday (April 10), making it a 10 day round trip.
NASA has been broadcasting a 24/7 live stream of a camera attached to the exterior of the capsule, which is available to view on YouTube, with the caption of the video reading: “As bandwidth allows, this stream will feature live views from the Orion spacecraft, without commentary, as it makes its journey around the Moon. Viewers will see a blue screen if there is a loss of signal, or if the bandwidth is needed for mission activities. Viewers may see what appears to be a black screen when the vehicle is in darkness.
“This stream started as Artemis II began its ascent into space and will conclude shortly before Orion splashes down into the Pacific Ocean.”
Why isn’t Artemis II landing on the Moon?
The crew will not be landing on the Moon and instead will fly past before returning home.
This is because the four astronauts are part of the first human test flight in NASA’s new lunar programme.
If successful, we could see humans back on the lunar surface as early as 2027 with the upcoming Artemis III mission.