The Artemis 2 team has successfully captured a groundbreaking image of Earth rising over the unobservable side of the Moon. During their mission, the astronauts circled the Moon’s hidden hemisphere, a region never visible from Earth, granting them the first-ever human view of its craters and lava plains.
Commander Reid Wiseman expressed awe at the unique sights they witnessed, surpassing even the experiences of the Apollo missions. President Donald Trump commended the team for their historic achievement, acknowledging their prideful moment.
As the Orion spacecraft neared the Moon, the crew diligently performed various tasks, including photographing the lunar surface with digital cameras, creating sketches, and narrating their observations. Briefly losing contact with Earth for 40 minutes as they orbited behind the Moon, the team also witnessed a solar eclipse as the Moon obscured the Sun’s light.
Setting a new record for the farthest human travel, the spacecraft surpassed the previous milestone set by Apollo 13 in 1970. Canadian astronaut Jeremey Hansen paid tribute to past space explorers, emphasizing the significance of their journey into space.
Hansen requested that two craters observed during the mission be named, one after the Orion capsule, known as “Integrity,” and the other in memory of Commander Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll. Reflecting on their journey and personal loss, the team looks forward to the future visibility of these features from Earth.
Concluding their historic lunar flyby and observation phase, which lasted approximately seven hours, the astronauts are en route back to Earth. The 10-day mission is scheduled to culminate with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on Friday, April 10.
