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TRANSCRIPT
“We have all of the internal lights off and are letting our eyes adjust the best we can... Integrity was able to get a view out of window 1, which is a beautiful view. I can see the entire moon that they're looking at.”
That's Pilot Victor Glover, telling Mission Control about what he and his fellow astronauts are seeing as they draw closer to the moon on day six of the first crewed test flight of NASA's Artemis program.
But before these words were spoken, the crew had been greeted by a recorded message from the late Apollo 8 and 13 astronaut Jim Lovell.
“Welcome to my old neighbourhood. When Frank Borman and Bill Andrews and I orbited the moon on Apollo 8, we got humanity's first up close look at the moon and got a view of the home planet that inspired and united people around the world. I'm proud to pass that torch on to you as you swing around the moon and lay the groundwork for missions to Mars, for the benefit of all.”
It was a fitting message for the four astronauts of Artemis II [[Two]], who have now reached the furthest point that any human has been from earth.
NASA's ground control crew confirmed the climactic point in the nearly 10-day Artemis II mission.
“Integrity crew, on April 15th, 1970, during the Apollo 13 mission, three explorers set the record for the farthest distance humans have ever travelled from our home planet. At that time, over 55 years ago, Lovell, Swigert, and Haise flew 248,655 statute miles away from Earth. Today, for all humanity, you're pushing beyond that frontier. Integrity, over to you.”
That means the Artemis Orion spacecraft has now entered an area where lunar gravity pulls stronger than Earth's.
The crew are witnessing the moon from roughly 4,000 miles above its darkened surface as it eclipses what will appear to be a basketball-sized Earth in the distant background.
And swooping around the far side of the Moon, Mission Specialist Christina Koch says the crew of four are witnessing previously hidden lunar territory - the sphere looming large through their capsule windows.
“We noticed we entered the lunar sphere of influence about an hour ago. And sure enough, we are now falling to the moon rather than rising away from Earth. It is an amazing milestone. Also earlier, we had the Earth out as a crescent, out the side hatch and the moon out window three. And definitely by far the moon is bigger than the Earth.”
A team of dozens of lunar scientists positioned in the Science Evaluation Room at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will be taking notes as the astronauts, who studied an array of lunar phenomena as part of mission training, describe their view in real time.
Australian scientists are also lending a hand, as Australia-based astrophysicist Rajan Chhetri has told SBS Nepali.
“Australia is playing a critical part in this Artemis Two mission. It will provide communications to Artemis Two through the Canberra Deep Space communication complex. And it is one of the three stations that will help NASA to keep track of the astronuats and their journey to the Moon.”
As Artemis heads to the far side of the moon, they need to complete a flyby manouevre today that is estimated to last about six hours.
During the flyby, the astronauts will use professional cameras to take detailed photos of the moon through Orion's window, showing a rare and scientifically valuable vantage point of sunlight filtering around its edges.
And the astronauts have already started seeing features never previously glimpsed directly.
Moments after breaking Apollo 13's record, the astronauts asked permission to name two fresh lunar craters - the second in honour of the late wife of mission commander Reid Wiseman, who died of cancer in 2020.
“The first one we'd like to suggest is a named crater in honour of our great spacecraft, Integrity... And the second one, and especially meaningful for this crew... there's a feature in a really neat place on the moon, and it is on the near-side, far-side boundary. In fact, it's just on the nearside of that boundary, and so at certain times of the moon's transit around Earth, you can, we will be able to see this from Earth... And we would like to call it Carroll, and you spell that C-A-R-R O-L-L.”
NASA says Wiseman wept as Hansen put in the request to Mission Control, and all four astronauts embraced in tears.
Visuals like these are not just meaningful to the team - they're key to the mission.
Lead scientist Kelsey Young says that despite the technological advancements since the Apollo era, NASA still relies on the eyesight of its astronauts to learn more about the Moon.
She says the Artemis Crew will get a good glimpse of the lunar surface.
“When they are closest to the moon, they will see 21 percent of the far side. On their approach as you saw in that visual, they will see the full disc.”
Mission Commander Reid Wiseman says he is ready for it.
“That was an awesome message from Jim Lovell and very cool to hear him welcome us to the neighbourhood. It's going to be a great day, thank you.”
READ MORE ABOUT THIS STORY
Far side of the moon: Artemis II crew break space distance record
