{"id":221248,"date":"2026-04-06T23:37:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T23:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/221248\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T23:37:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T23:37:28","slug":"artemis-ii-astronauts-break-apollo-13-record-make-moving-request-to-name-moon-craters-orlando-sentinel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/221248\/","title":{"rendered":"Artemis II astronauts break Apollo 13 record, make moving request to name moon craters \u2013 Orlando Sentinel"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a day the crew of Artemis II broke the record set by Apollo 13 for farthest distance from Earth ever flown by humans, they made a request to name two newly identified craters: one to honor their Orion spacecraft named Integrity, and one in the memory of commander Reid Wiseman\u2019s late wife Carroll.<\/p>\n

The Orion spacecraft and its four passengers ventured into the moon\u2019s gravitational influence Monday, and at 12:57 p.m. surpassed the 248,655 miles traveled by the 1970 flight by Apollo 13\u2019s Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert.<\/p>\n

The new record holders are Wiseman and fellow NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we surpass the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from planet Earth, we do so in honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration,\u201d Hansen said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will continue our journey even further into space before Mother Earth succeeds in pulling us back to everything that we hold dear, but we most importantly, choose this moment to challenge this generation and in the next to make sure this record is not long lived,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Hansen took the next moments to announce their request for the new potential names for a pair of \u201crelatively fresh craters on the moon that have not been previously named.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent a bit of time this morning looking out the window, and we\u2019re able to see them now, both with our naked eye and through the long lens. And so we feel this is a good time to send this down,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The first suggestion, located on the far side of the moon near the Orientale basin, was to be named Integrity, which is the name the four astronauts had named their Orion spacecraft.<\/p>\n

\"NASANASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, right, clasps his hands in reaction as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen announces the crew’s request to name one of two craters on the moon in honor of Wiseman’s late wife Carroll on Monday, April 6, 2026. Also in the photo are NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Victor Glover at right. (Courtesy\/NASA)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe second one, and especially meaningful for this crew, is a number of years ago we started this journey, and our close knit astronaut family, and we lost a loved one,\u201d Hansen said, his voice breaking up over the communication relay.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s located on the boundary between the near and far side of the moon as viewed from Earth.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo at certain times of the moon\u2019s transit around Earth \u2026 we will be able to see this from Earth. And so we lost a loved one. Her name was Carroll, the spouse of Reid, the mother of Katie and Ellie. \u2026 It\u2019s a bright spot on the moon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carroll Taylor Wiseman died after a battle with cancer in 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cIntegrity and Carroll crater, loud and clear. Thank you,\u201d replied Mission Control.<\/p>\n

Since launching last Wednesday from Kennedy Space Center<\/a>, the spacecraft has been under Earth\u2019s dominant pull. But at 12:41 a.m., the moon took over that role.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe noticed we entered the lunar sphere of influence about an hour ago, and sure enough we are now falling to the moon rather than rising away from Earth,\u201d said Koch on Monday morning. \u201cIt is an amazing milestone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Koch said the crew were able to see both a crescent Earth out the side hatch view and the moon out another of Orion\u2019s windows at the same time.<\/p>\n

\u201cDefinitely, by far, the moon is bigger than the Earth,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The crew will continue their approach as they slingshot around the far side of the moon. Orion still has an additional 4,101 miles to tack onto the new record as they whip around Earth\u2019s satellite into Monday night.<\/p>\n

During their wake-up call Monday, the Artemis II astronauts were played a recorded message from Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13 and crew member of Apollo 8, who died in 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome to my old neighborhood,\u201d he said in the recording. \u201cI\u2019m proud to pass that torch on to you as you swing around the moon and lay the groundwork for missions to Mars. \u2026 It\u2019s a historic day, and I know how busy you\u2019ll be. But don\u2019t forget to enjoy the view.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"InIn this fully illuminated view of the moon from April 6, 2026 taken from Orion on the Artemis II mission, the near side (the hemisphere seen from Earth), is visible on the right. It is identifiable by the dark splotches that cover its surface. These are ancient lava flows from a time early in the moon\u2019s history when it was volcanically active. The large crater west of the lava flows is Orientale basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide crater that straddles the moon\u2019s near and far sides. Orientale\u2019s left half is not visible from Earth, but in this image is full view of the crater. Everything to the left of the crater is the far side, the hemisphere not seen from Earth because the moon rotates on its axis at the same rate that it orbits round us. (Courtesy\/NASA)<\/p>\n

Right ahead of that milestone, Hansen commented on the clarity of Orion\u2019s view.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is blowing my mind what you can see with the naked eye from the moon right now. It\u2019s just unbelievable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Leaving Earth orbit, \u2705. Next up: Finalizing the Moon observation plan.<\/p>\n

Artemis II is both a test flight and a science mission. Astronauts, flight controllers, & science teams are working together to squeeze as much knowledge as possible out of the crew\u2019s lunar flyby. \u2b07\ufe0f (1\/6) pic.twitter.com\/0rdwBZ2KYE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NASA Science (@NASAScience_) April 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The crew took observations into the evening, coming within 4,067 miles from its surface at 7 p.m., the view of which was described by NASA as if the crew were to hold a basketball at arm\u2019s length. They began their observation time with a view of the landing sites of both Apollo 12 and Apollo 14, but then were able to focus on parts of the moon that had never been seen before by human eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have educated guesses based on what we know about the lunar surface, especially the far side \u2026 but we don\u2019t know what to expect.\u201d said Kelsey Young, the Artemis II lunar science lead. \u201cThis is exploration \u2026 While we have imagery, amazing data from orbiting spacecraft, it\u2019s these nuanced observations that we\u2019re lacking. This is discovery. We\u2019re asking questions that we don\u2019t always know the answer to, and that\u2019s some of the value of what these Artemis missions bring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah Noble, the Artemis lunar science lead for NASA, said the four astronauts had excited for the job, and had become \u201clittle emissaries \u2026 bringing the science out to the masses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent a considerable amount of time over the last year or two, training them to be geologists,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had them classroom training. We\u2019ve taken them out into the field to see some actual rocks. We\u2019ve given them lots of homework.\u201d<\/p>\n

She hammered home that their view is invaluable.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe human eye is just a fantastic instrument, and we\u2019re hopeful that they\u2019ll be able to see things like, subtle color differences, subtle texture differences, things that we don\u2019t necessarily see in our images,\u201d Noble said saying NASA has plenty of camera images. \u201cThe point is to use their eyes and their brains to get new things that we we haven\u2019t seen in our images.\u201d<\/p>\n

The crew became the first in nearly 54 years, not since Apollo 17 in 1972, to venture behind the moon and lose communication with Earth.<\/p>\n

Before that expected 40-minute loss of signal that began after 6:44 p.m., the CAPCOM for the mission, backup Artemis II and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jenni Gibbons said, \u201cIt\u2019s a privilege to witness you carrying the fire past our farthest reach. Thank you, Godspeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Glover took the time to thank her and everyone who allowed them to venture on this journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s quite amazing, and as we go on this journey, thinking about the NASA mission, to explore the unknown in air and space, to innovate for the benefit of humanity and to inspire the world through discovery,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd as you\u2019ve gone along on this journey with us, hopefully we\u2019re doing just those things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd as we get close to the nearest point to the moon and farthest point from Earth, as we continue to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos, I would like to remind you of one of the most important mysteries there on Earth, and that\u2019s love,\u201d he continued. \u201cChrist said in response to what was the greatest command that it was to love God with all that you are, and he, also, being a great teacher, said this again, he\u2019s equal to it, and that is to love your neighbor as yourself. And so as we prepare to go out of radio communication, we\u2019re still open to feel your love from Earth and to all of you down there on Earth and around Earth. We love you from the moon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHouston copies we\u2019ll see on the other side,\u201d Gibbons said.<\/p>\n

After the fly-by, Orion continued to arc away from the Earth before gravity began to pull it back to the planet, reaching a new milestone distance of 252,756 miles.<\/p>\n

Orion had been heading away from Earth since Thursday, when it performed its translunar injection burn. As the moon came around on its Earth orbit as Orion got into its vicinity, it started to pull it closer, but not strong enough to have it enter lunar orbit. As the moon passes by, Orion then gets sucked back by Earth\u2019s gravity.<\/p>\n

\u201cit\u2019s the interplay of those two gravity fields that really drive this beautiful dance of the spacecraft,\u201d said Lori Glaze, NASA\u2019s acting associate administrator for NASA\u2019s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate.<\/p>\n

The astronauts armed with multiple cameras began to take thousands of pictures of 35 target areas of the far side of the moon.<\/p>\n

At 7:21 p.m., Orion came back within Earth\u2019s view after coming back around the opposite edge of the moon.<\/p>\n

Another unique event late Monday will be a solar eclipse from the crew\u2019s perspective when the sun will pass behind the moon between 8:35-9:32 p.m.<\/p>\n

The crew will have another four days back to Earth before a targeted splashdown Friday evening off the coast of San Diego in the Pacific Ocean to complete the 10-day journey.<\/p>\n

The quartet became the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th humans to ever fly into deep space.<\/p>\n

\"ThisThis image of the moon was taken during Orion’s transit on on flight day 4 during the Artemis II mission on Sunday, April 4, 2026. (Courtesy\/NASA)<\/p>\n

Wiseman was enamored with the view over the weekend as Orion got closer to the moon discussing some of the lunar features with Mission Control in Houston.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot one for hyperbole, but it\u2019s the only thing I could come up with. Just seeing Tycho, there\u2019s mountains to the north. You can see Copernicus, Reiner Gamma. It\u2019s just everything from the training, but in three dimensions, and absolutely unbelievable. This is incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCopy, moon joy,\u201d replied Mission Control.<\/p>\n

He weighed in with the gravity of the crew\u2019s place in space.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a magnificent accomplishment to be up here, to see the moon, to see the Earth, and to know that we are between those two celestial bodies,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can see it when you look out the window. The Earth is almost in full eclipse, the moon is almost in full daylight, and the only way you could get that view is to be halfway between the two entities. It\u2019s just it is truly awe-inspiring up here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NASANASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft’s main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the moon on April 2, 2026 on Orion’s second day of its mission. (Courtesy\/NASA)<\/p>\n

During a media call on Sunday acknowledging Easter, Glover gave his perspective on his view of the planet.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn all of this emptiness, this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe. You have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together,\u201d he said. \u201cI think as we go into Easter Sunday thinking about all the cultures all around the world, whether you celebrate it or not, whether you believe in God or not, this is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing, and that we\u2019ve got to get through this together.\u201d<\/p>\n

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