Artemis II Crew Breaks All-Time Space Distance Record During Historic Lunar Flyby | DISCUSS

On Monday, April 6, 2026, the four-person crew of the Artemis II mission officially became the farthest-traveling humans in history. At 1:56 PM ET, the Orion spacecraft surpassed the 56-year-old distance record of 248,655 miles from Earth, previously set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970.

The crew—Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—is currently executing a high-stakes lunar flyby that will take them nearly 5,000 miles beyond the Moon.

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Lunar Flyby Timeline: April 6, 2026

The mission is following a precise schedule as the Orion capsule uses the Moon's gravity to "slingshot" back toward Earth:

10:50 AM ET: The crew received their wakeup call to the song "Working Class Heroes (Work)" by CeeLo Green to begin a day dedicated to lunar research.

2:45 PM ET: The 7-hour lunar observation period officially began. The crew is working in shifts to photograph the lunar surface, focusing on the heavily cratered far side.

6:44 PM ET: Mission Control expects to lose all communications with the spacecraft as it passes behind the Moon. This "blackout" period is expected to last approximately 40 minutes.

7:02 PM ET: Orion will make its closest approach to the lunar surface, passing just 4,070 miles above the "gray dirt".

7:07 PM ET: The crew will reach their maximum distance from Earth of approximately 252,760 miles.

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Scientific Objectives: Seeing the "Unseen"

For the first time in over 50 years, human eyes are observing the Moon from this proximity:

Far Side Photography: The crew is using high-resolution cameras to capture the Hertzsprung basin, a 400-mile-wide crater on the far side that has never been seen by humans with the unaided eye.

The "Earthrise" Recreation: Astronauts will attempt to recreate the iconic 1968 "Earthrise" photo as they emerge from the Moon's shadow.

Solar Eclipse from Space: At 8:35 PM ET, the crew will witness a rare solar eclipse as the Moon blocks the Sun from their perspective, allowing them to observe the Sun's shimmering corona from deep space.

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Artemis II vs. Apollo 13: The New Record

Mission	Max Distance from Earth	Date of Record
Apollo 13	248,655 miles (400,171 km)	April 15, 1970.
Artemis II	~252,760 miles (406,778 km)	April 6, 2026.

“We are merging the past with the present... This is a milestone that people can wrap their heads around as we chart the course to the lunar surface.” — Christina Koch.