HOUSTON, United States — Astronauts aboard Artemis II conducted detailed observations of the Moon while completing the first crewed lunar flyby mission by NASA in more than 50 years, as they traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history.
Mission control in Houston restored communication with the crew after a roughly 40-minute signal loss when the spacecraft passed behind the Moon.
Astronaut Christina Koch confirmed contact had resumed and said the crew reestablished communication with Earth.
The Artemis II crew surpassed the distance record set during Apollo 13 and is expected to reach a maximum distance of 252,760 miles (406,778 kilometers) from Earth.
Astronaut Jeremy Hansen said the milestone aims to encourage future missions to exceed the record.
The crew continued a scheduled observation period of the lunar surface and is expected to witness a solar eclipse as the Sun moves behind the Moon.
Astronaut Victor Glover described the Moon’s “terminator,” the boundary between its illuminated and dark sides, during live communications with scientists on Earth.
Lead scientist Kelsey Young said the astronauts’ descriptions provided valuable human observations to complement robotic imagery.
Koch also described the appearance of lunar craters during the flyby.
The spacecraft, Orion, is traveling around the Moon on a free-return trajectory that will bring the crew back to Earth in about four days.
Mission commander Reid Wiseman leads a crew that includes the first woman, the first person of color, and the first non-American to fly around the Moon.
During the mission, the crew proposed naming two previously unnamed lunar craters, including one after their spacecraft’s nickname, “Integrity,” and another in honor of Wiseman’s late wife, which they suggested naming “Carroll.”
International Astronomical Union will review the proposed names, according to NASA.