In interview from space, Artemis II astronauts say they see moon’s far side

At 12:41 a.m. ET Monday, the astronauts are expected to enter the lunar sphere of influence, meaning the pull of the moon’s gravity will become stronger than Earth’s.

The mission’s long-awaited lunar flyby will occur later that day, during which the Artemis II astronauts will view never-before-seen parts of the moon’s surface. These areas on the far side are not visible from Earth because that part of the moon always faces away from our planet. Even the Apollo astronauts couldn’t view much of the moon’s far side due to the paths and timing of their flights.

The official lunar flyby period for Artemis II lasts six hours and begins at 2:45 p.m. ET.

As the Orion capsule swings around the moon, Wiseman, Koch, Glover and Hansen are set to travel farther from Earth than any humans have before. They’re expected to reach their maximum distance from Earth — 252,757 miles — at 7:05 p.m. ET. That will break the Apollo 13 distance record by around 4,100 miles.

They should surpass the Apollo 13 distance of 248,655 miles at 1:56 p.m. ET.

Over the course of the day, the astronauts should come as close as 4,600 miles to the lunar surface. From their vantage point, the moon will look about the size of a basketball held at arms’ length. The crew is tasked with making close observations of its features and taking photographs. Their images of craters, ridges and ancient lava flows on the lunar surface could help scientists better understand how the moon — and the solar system — formed.

Toward the end of the lunar observation period, the crew will have the opportunity to experience a solar eclipse from space. The sun will move behind the moon at 8:35 p.m. ET, blocking its light from the perspective of the Orion capsule. The eclipse will last almost an hour.

During that time, the moon will appear mostly dark, which will give the astronauts a chance to observe the sun’s corona and look for flashes of light from rocky objects smacking into the moon.

After their flyby, the astronauts will spend the next three days journeying home. They are expected to return to Earth on Friday, with the mission culminating in a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego, just after 8 p.m. ET.

Hansen said the flight so far has been emotional, full of joy, happiness and disbelief.