NASA Astronauts Circle Moon for First Time in 52 Years

After more than half a century, humans are getting close to the moon again, and the astronauts on NASA's Artemis 2 mission can barely contain their excitement.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen began their seven-hour lunar flyby today, becoming the first people to see Earth's closest neighbor up close since Apollo 17 in 1972. "The four of us have looked at the moon our entire lives, and the way we are responding to what we're seeing out the window is just like we're a bunch of kids up here," Wiseman radioed to Mission Control Sunday night.

The mission is breaking records right out of the gate. At 1:56 p.m. EDT, the Orion spacecraft surpassed Apollo 13's distance record, flying more than 248,655 miles from Earth.

But the real magic happens during the flyby itself. The crew will observe both the near and far sides of the moon, including polar regions that Apollo astronauts never saw. They're photographing 35 different targets for 10 science objectives, potentially capturing images of the Apollo 14 and Apollo 12 landing sites from their unique vantage point.

At 7:02 p.m. EDT, Orion will reach its closest approach, just 4,070 miles above the lunar surface. Five minutes later, the spacecraft will hit its maximum distance from Earth at 252,760 miles away.

The surprises don't end there. The astronauts will witness something rarely seen by human eyes: a total solar eclipse from beyond the moon. For 53 minutes starting at 8:35 p.m. EDT, they'll watch the moon block the sun while potentially spotting Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn in the darkened sky.

Why This Inspires

This mission represents more than breaking old records or taking beautiful photos. It's proof that humanity's greatest adventures aren't behind us. The Artemis 2 crew includes the first woman and first Canadian ever to fly near the moon, showing how far we've come since the Apollo era.

The astronauts are working in two-person shifts, using a custom tablet app to record observations and snap thousands of photos. Every image and data point they collect helps scientists plan for future missions, including landing astronauts on the moon's south pole in coming years.

Their childlike wonder reminds us that even the most highly trained professionals can still feel pure joy when witnessing something extraordinary. That sense of possibility is contagious.

Humanity is going back to the moon, and this time, we're bringing everyone along for the ride.