Artemis II Astronauts Capture Historic Far Side Moon Images After Record Breaking Flight

Breaking Distance Records in Deep Space

The Artemis II crew has officially made history, traveling 252,756 miles from Earth and breaking Apollo 13's record for the farthest humans have ever ventured into space . NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen completed their seven-hour lunar flyby on April 6, marking humanity's first return to the Moon's vicinity since Apollo 17 in 1972 .

The moon's gravitational pull caused Orion to make a crucial U-turn around the far side, at a minimum distance of 4,067 miles from the lunar surface, and then slingshot back toward Earth . The crew experienced a 45-minute communications blackout as the spacecraft slipped behind the moon, losing line of sight to Earth with the moon blocking satellite communications entirely .

Unprecedented Views of the Lunar Far Side

The astronauts became the first people to see the entire lunar far side, which is not visible from Earth because that part of the moon permanently faces away from our planet . Because the Artemis astronauts had a wider perspective on the moon than Apollo astronauts did five decades ago, they could see parts of the far side that had gone unseen directly by human eyes .

The first flyby images of the Moon captured during their historic test flight reveal some regions no human has seen, including a rare in-space solar eclipse . The astronauts became the first people to view a solar eclipse from the moon, with the new image showing a darkened moon with the sun's outermost atmosphere, the corona, glowing around the edges . "Humans probably have not evolved to see what we're seeing," pilot Victor Glover said. "It is truly hard to describe. It is amazing."

Scientific Discoveries and Emotional Moments

As they flew over the Moon's far side, the crew photographed and described terrain features including impact craters, ancient lava flows, and surface cracks and ridges formed as the Moon slowly evolved over time. They also noted differences in color, brightness and texture, which provide clues that help scientists understand the composition and history of the lunar surface . The astronauts focused on features of scientific interest — including Orientale Basin and Hertzsprung Basin, two multi-ring impact craters that document different geological eras on the far side .

Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen suggested naming one crater "Carroll" in honor of commander Reid Wiseman's wife, who died of cancer in 2020. "It's a bright spot on the moon. And we would like to call it 'Carroll,'" said an audibly emotional Hansen, as Wiseman stretched out a supportive arm and Christina Koch wiped tears from her eyes . All four astronauts floated toward each other for a hug, and stayed locked in a group embrace as mission control observed nearly a full minute of silence .

Setting the Stage for Future Exploration

The Orion spacecraft is expected to splash down Friday night off the coast of San Diego , concluding this historic mission that serves as a crucial stepping stone. This mission is a key step toward returning astronauts to the moon for the first time since the Apollo era and lays the groundwork for future missions that could eventually send humans to Mars .

The agency released several images, with more expected in the coming days as the crew members are more than halfway through their journey and now headed home toward Earth . NASA has said the Artemis II images of craters, ridges and ancient lava flows on the lunar surface could help researchers better understand how the moon — and the solar system — formed . These remarkable images and observations represent not just a return to lunar exploration, but a bold step toward establishing humanity's presence beyond Earth for generations to come.