Artemis II astronauts break records and take in unprecedented views in historic moon flyby

Our live coverage of Artemis II’s historic lunar flyby has ended. Look back at what happened here during the first crewed moon mission in over five decades.

Our live coverage of Artemis II’s historic lunar flyby has ended. Get the latest updates on the first crewed moon mission in over five decades here.

• History made: Four astronauts reestablished contact with Mission Control after an expected 40-minute communications blackout — among the longest in human spaceflight history — as they passed behind the moon. The spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth for this mission, which is “suspected to be” about 252,756 miles, according to NASA.

• En route home: The astronauts have now begun their return trip home after venturing farther from Earth than anyone ever has, breaking the 1970 record set by Apollo 13.

• What the astronauts did: NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen, observed Earthrise during the blackout. They also saw features of the mysterious lunar far side that have never before been seen by human eyes. The crew also enjoyed a total solar eclipse from their perspective in the Orion spacecraft.

• Presidential endorsement: US President Donald Trump called in to speak with the astronauts after the flyby: “Today you’ve made history.”

• See the best photos from the Artemis II mission so far.

The Artemis II astronauts had a historic, jam-packed day of observations during their highly anticipated lunar flyby.

On Tuesday, we can expect to see some of the images they captured.

The Orion spacecraft will also depart the lunar sphere of influence, the area where the moon’s gravity is stronger than that of Earth, as it continues its return journey. Orion is also expected to experience its first return trajectory burn.

Additionally, the crew will place a special in-space call to the astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station and then debrief with science officials at NASA’s Johnson Space Center to discuss the lunar flyby.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman brought the public affairs event with the Artemis II crew to a close by thanking them for everything they’ve done throughout the mission so far.

“On behalf of NASA and space-loving people across the world, thank you for taking us with you to the moon,” Isaacman said. “Thank you for your courage, all of your beautiful words that we’ve heard. You represent the absolute best of us. We are proud of you, and we look forward to welcoming you back safely to the good Earth very soon. Godspeed and Go Artemis II.”

The Artemis II astronauts knew they had reached a milestone as the Orion spacecraft flew behind the moon, causing a brief but expected communications blackout with NASA mission control. The crewmates were busy with their science observations of the moon.

But as soon as communications with Earth dropped, they gathered together to have celebratory maple cream cookies — courtesy of Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — to honor the “surreal moment,” Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman said.

NASA chief Jared Isaacman asked the crew to describe their journey in a word — and Christina Koch responded with “humility.”

“We would never be here if it weren’t for so many people that came before us — starting with Neil Armstrong, Katherine Johnson, civil rights movement leaders — everyone who worked on this spacecraft before we got here,” Koch said.

Armstrong of course was the first man to walk on the moon. But Johnson was an unsung hero of the Apollo days, a mathematician whose calculations were responsible for safely rocketing men into space and securing the American lead in the space race against the Soviet Union.

The Artemis II crew is filled with wonder and emotion after their seven-hour flyby around the moon and all of the observations it afforded.

Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman has been especially struck by the scale of the mission.

“On the International Space Station, we’re 250 nautical miles up and and that’s the most beautiful view I think a human could ever experience,” Wiseman said. “And we are dealing with numbers that are 250,000 miles. And every time, Mission Control points this vehicle either at the moon or at Earth, it reminds me every day that humans have to go. We’ve got to explore. We got to go further, to expand our knowledge, expand our horizons, and every time we take another step forward, it makes the world seem a little bit smaller and a little bit more manageable. And just putting these numbers in perspective, it is impossible as a human to look these displays and comprehend them. And here we are, and NASA is doing this, and international team is doing this and they’re doing it very well.”

Christina Koch, who today became the first woman in history to complete a lunar flyby, told NASA chief Jared Isaacman she’s settling into life in space just fine.

“One other thing I’ll say — how fast it is going by. I’m not ready to go home,” Koch said.

She also gushed about how well the Orion spacecraft operated when she had a chance to manually pilot the vehicle, noting it was one of the most surprising aspects of the mission so far.

“How tight the control algorithms were and watching it respond when we actually degraded it on purpose,” she noted, referencing a test run in which the Orion spacecraft intentionally turned off some of its thrsuters to allow the crew to assess how the spacecraft would fly in a scenario in which some engines stop working.

“It was just amazing to be in a deep space spacecraft and just be flying it around by hand,” she said.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman asked the Artemis II astronauts what surprised them during their history-making and record-setting lunar flyby.

“You know from your experience of seeing the Earth from space how it just seems different,” said Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, noting that Isaacman has been to space twice. “When we were on the far side of the moon, looking back at Earth, you really felt like you weren’t in a capsule. You’d been transported to the far side of the moon. And it really just bent your mind. It was an extraordinary human experience. We’re so grateful for it.”

The Artemis II crew is preparing for a live discussion about their lunar flyby with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who is at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen took a moment to share a message with Trump on behalf of Canada.

“On behalf of Canada, the space leadership you spoke of from America is truly is extraordinary,” Hansen said. “I’ve said this many times before. A nation that leads like that and creates and sets big goals for humanity that brings other countries along with it is is truly incredible, and I know that’s a very intentional, not a necessary decision, intentional decision to lead by example and to allow other countries like Canada to share our gifts and help you achieve these mutually beneficial goals, like establishing a presence on the moon and eventually going to Mars. Canadians are so proud to be a part of this program.”

Trump responded by saying he spoke with Wayne Gretzky, the Canadian Prime Minister and “many other friends” in Canada and expressed how proud they were of Hansen and the Artemis II crew.

“You have a lot of courage,” Trump said. “I’m not sure if they’d want to do that. I’m not even sure if ‘the great one’ would want to do that, to be honest with you, but you have a lot of courage doing what you’re doing, a lot of bravery and a lot of a lot of genius.”

Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman described one of his favorite moments from the lunar flyby after Trump asked the astronauts to recount what stood out to them.

“The surprise of the day: We just came out of an eclipse. We could see the corona of the sun, and then we could see the planet train line up with Mars. And all of us commented how excited we are to watch this nation and this planet become a two planet species.”

NASA astronaut Christina Koch added: “Mr. President, to be here with you speaking about our incredible day today. I think one of the biggest highlights was coming back from the far side of the moon and having the first glimpses of planet Earth again after being out of communication for about 45 minutes. It really just reminds you what a special place we have and how important it is for our nation to work to lead and not follow in exploring deep space.”

NASA astronaut Victor Glover also noted what a special day it was for many, not just the crew.

“It’s really special for us, but it’s really special for the team on the ground,” Glover said. “A whole team of people all around the world pulled this off, and we just want to say thank you to all of you for this. It is the thrill and honor of a lifetime to have been on this journey. Today was amazing, but this three year journey has been amazing, and it was made people, made possible by the American people and the Canadian people. And we’re so grateful to you all.”

Trump said he wants NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman to bring the Artemis II crew to the Oval Office once they return to Earth.

“I’ll ask for your autograph,” Trump said. “Because I don’t really ask for autographs much, but you deserve that. You really are something. Everybody is talking about this, and I look forward to having you in the Oval Office at the White House, and we will celebrate your incredible achievements and trials. This is big. This is really big stuff. The whole world is talking about it. And if you have the time, I will certainly find the time. I’ve been pretty busy, also, as you know, but I will absolutely find the time, and we’ll get together, and I’m going to be giving you a big salute on behalf of the American people.”

President Donald Trump called in to speak with the astronauts after their historic lunar flyby on Monday. He called in remotely and was introduced by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

“Today you’ve made history and made all America really proud, incredibly proud,” Trump said. “We have a lot of things to be proud of lately, but this is, there’s nothing like what you’re doing circling around the moon for the first time in more than a half a century and breaking the all time record for the farthest distance from planet Earth.”

After 7 hours, the Artemis II flyby is wrapping up.

Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman thanked the NASA science team for putting together such an exciting observing program for them, as well as “some great, truly human experience moments here.”

“We were well prepared, and we appreciate all of you, and this is what we do best when we all come together and work as a team,” Wiseman said. “So y’all knocked it out of the park. Thank you for giving us this opportunity.”

Science officer Dr. Kelsey Young shared these comments with the crew: “I can’t say enough how much science we’ve already learned and how much inspiration you’ve provided to our entire team, the lunar science community and the entire world with what you were able to bring today. You really brought the moon closer for us today. And we cannot say thank you enough.”

Next, the team will start sending back the imagery they shot today so it can arrive back on Earth.

In a rare opportunity not experienced since the Apollo era, the Artemis II astronauts spent the last hour enjoying a total solar eclipse from their perspective in the Orion spacecraft. They were able to photograph and observe the sun’s outer atmosphere and see stars, planets like Venus, Mars and Saturn, and the glow of Earth.

Now, the crew will don their eclipse glasses to protect their eyes.

As the solar eclipse begins to come to a close, the Artemis II astronauts have reported seeing streamers, which they described as “baby hairs,” in the sun’s outer atmosphere, or solar corona, visible around the moon.

Streamers are structures of solar material within the sun’s atmosphere.

“If you’ve ever seen the spotlight off the top of the Luxor at night in Las Vegas, this looks like what that wants to be when it grows up,” Glover said.

The Artemis II crew so has witnessed four impact flashes — distinct flashes of light created as space rocks struck the moon.

All of the strikes occurred on the near side, which always faces Earth and occurred close to or south of the lunar equator.

The sun is also illuminating the entire perimeter of the moon during the total solar eclipse, highlighting some unique lunar topography, according to Canadian Space Agency Jeremy Hansen.

NASA astronaut Victor Glover noted that it has been difficult to fully capture what they’re seeing with cameras, so he described the effect of Earthshine, or Earth’s glow, on the moon during the dramatic darkness of the total solar eclipse.

“After all of the amazing sites that we we saw earlier, we just went sci-fi,” Glover said. “You can actually see a majority of the moon. It is. It is the strangest looking thing that you can see so much on the surface.”

He also mentioned that the crew observed two meteors.

As the Artemis II crew experiences a total solar eclipse from their vantage point in Orion during the lunar flyby, a steadily blinking dot has been visible in the upper left part of the screen.

NASA’s science team confirmed it’s Venus, one of the brightest object in the night sky.

On Earth, totality during a total solar eclipse – when the sun is completely blocked and it’s safe to view without protective solar eclipse glasses – only lasts a few minutes.

But for the Artemis II astronauts, this viewing opportunity will last for nearly an hour. They can see the solar corona, or the sun’s outer atmosphere, as well as stars, planets and Earthshine, or Earth’s reflected glow.

“The Earth is so bright out there, and the moon is just hanging in front of us, this black orb out in front of us, in front of not the blackness, but the gray that blends and drifts into the blackness,” said NASA astronaut Victor Glover.

“Earthshine is very distinct, and it creates quite an impressive visual illusion,” he added. “Wow, it’s amazing.”

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