Artemis II Closely Observes Moon's Far Side, Crater Named 'Carroll' with a Touching Story

According to Reuters and AFP, the approximately six-hour observation focused on the moon's far side, which is usually unseen, specifically on 'impact flashes' generated when meteors strike the dark, crater-filled surface, as witnessed by the astronauts. Approximately 24 scientists gathered in a conference room next to the mission control center at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, recording in real-time the lunar wonders witnessed by the Artemis II astronauts. These astronauts were orbiting the moon in the SUV-sized 'Orion' spacecraft, approximately 402,000 kilometers from Earth. This approximately six-hour flyby brought them closest to the lunar surface at about 6,550 kilometers, occurring on the sixth day of the mission. This marks NASA's return to sending astronauts near the moon after more than half a century since the Cold War-era Apollo missions. The spacecraft briefly lost contact for about 40 minutes after passing behind the moon before re-establishing communication with mission control. Astronaut Christina Koch said, 'It's great to hear from Earth again.' Artemis II had earlier broken the distance record of 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) set by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen stated that the significance of this moment is to 'challenge this generation and the next,' hoping this record will not last too long. The lunar flyby observation period continued until approximately 9:20 PM Eastern Time (9:20 AM Taiwan time on the 7th). Astronauts witnessed a solar eclipse as the sun disappeared behind the moon. After Artemis II broke the record for the farthest flight from Earth, astronauts suggested naming two craters: one after their spacecraft's nickname 'Integrity,' and the other 'Carroll,' in memory of Mission Commander Reid Wiseman's late wife, Carroll, who passed away from cancer in 2020. Hansen emotionally said, 'This is a bright spot on the moon. We hope we can call it Carroll.' NASA stated that they would formally submit the naming suggestions to the International Astronomical Union. The Orion spacecraft will now return to Earth via a 'free-return trajectory,' expected to take about four days. (Compiled by: Lu Ying-tzu) 1150407