Historic Day: Artemis II Astronauts Set Record for Farthest Spaceflight from Earth

Agence France-Presse reported that the Artemis II team broke the record set by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970, and is expected to reach its farthest point in the journey later today, reaching a distance of 252,760 miles (approximately 406,778 kilometers) from Earth, about 4,105 miles (approximately 6,606 kilometers) more than the old record. The Artemis II astronauts are conducting a landmark lunar orbit, expected to spend over six hours analyzing and recording the features of the lunar surface. NASA pointed out that the mission spacecraft had earlier entered the Moon's gravitational sphere, meaning Artemis II has reached the Moon's vicinity, where the Moon's gravity has surpassed Earth's pull. After orbiting the Moon, the "Orion" spacecraft will turn back to Earth via a "free-return trajectory," with the return journey expected to take about four days. The Artemis II astronauts listened to a pre-recorded message from the late space hero Jim Lovell at the beginning of this historic day. Lovell, who participated in the Apollo 8 and 13 missions, recorded this message shortly before his death: "This is a historic day, I know you will be busy, but don't forget to enjoy the view." Lovell said in the message: "Welcome to my old neighborhood, I am honored to pass the torch to you as you orbit the Moon." Artemis II includes three American and one Canadian astronaut, among whom Victor Glover will become the first person of color to orbit the Moon, while Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will be the first woman and non-American, respectively, to achieve this feat. (Edited by: Liu Shu-Qin) 1150407