It’s a historic day for the crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission, as they are set to travel farther from Earth than any humans before them and circle the moon.
The action begins at 1:30 p.m. ET, when the science officer in mission control is scheduled to brief the crew of four on their objectives for the lunar flyby.
Less than 30 minutes later, at 1:56 p.m., the astronauts are expected to surpass the record set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970, when they traveled about 248,655 miles from Earth.
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Lunar observations are set to begin at 2:45 p.m., as the crew documents the moon and the surrounding space environment.
As Orion moves behind the moon, mission control anticipates a temporary loss of communication at 6:44 p.m. That will coincide with “Earthset,” when Earth disappears behind the lunar horizon from the crew’s perspective.
At 7:02 p.m., the spacecraft will make its closest approach to the moon, coming within about 4,070 miles of the surface.
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Just minutes later, at 7:07 p.m., the crew is expected to reach the maximum distance from Earth achieved during the mission — 252,760 miles.
At 7:25 p.m., “Earthrise” will bring Earth back into view on the opposite edge of the moon. Communication with mission control is also expected to be restored around that time.
Later in the evening, from approximately 8:35 p.m. to 9:32 p.m., the crew will witness a solar eclipse, as the moon passes between Orion and the sun.
Lunar observations are scheduled to conclude at 9:20 p.m., wrapping up a day that marks a major step forward in NASA’s efforts to return humans to deep space and eventually the lunar surface.
