On Monday, April 6, 2026, four astronauts flew closer to the Moon than any humans since 1972. NASA's Orion spacecraft, carrying Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, swept to within 4,067 miles of the lunar surface during a seven-hour observation window that gave the crew their first direct views of craters, swirls, and basins they had only ever seen in photographs. The lunar flyby was the centerpiece of Artemis II, the first crewed Orion flight and the first time humans have traveled beyond low Earth orbit since the final Apollo mission. At its farthest, the spacecraft reached 252,756 miles from Earth , breaking the distance record that had stood since Apollo 13 in 1970 by 4,111 miles. AI-generated image The Artemis II crew observing the Moon at closest approach, 4,067 miles from the surface. Credit: AI illustration 4,067 mi Closest Approach to Moon 252,756 mi Farthest Human Distance from Earth 4,111 mi Record Broken Over Apollo 13 60,863 mph Speed Relative to Earth at Flyby ~7 hours Lunar Observation Window 30 targets Lunar Surface Targets Observed Seven Hours at the Moon The flyby sequence began in the early afternoon Eastern time on April 6. NASA's lunar science team had spent weeks preparing a final list of 30 surface targets, ranging from well-mapped near-side features to formations on the lunar far side that no human had ever observed directly. The crew used handheld digital cameras throughout the window, capturing surface imagery that scientists in the Science Evaluation Room at Johnson Space Center were receiving and analyzing in near-real time. At 6:41 p.m. EDT, Orion passed behind the Moon from Earth's perspective. The crew witnessed "Earthset," the moment Earth dropped below the lunar horizon. It was, by any measure, a singular experience: four human beings watching their planet disappear behind another world. Victor Glover, speaking to Earth just before communications were lost, said: "As we prepare to go out of radio communication, we're still going to feel your love from Earth. And to all of you down there on Earth and around Earth, we love you, from the Moon. We will see you on the other side." For about 40 minutes, the Deep Space Network had no contact with Orion. The same kind of blackout happened during Artemis I and every Apollo lunar mission. When Orion emerged from behind the Moon at approximately 7:24 p.m., the crew witnessed Earthrise, Earth reappearing above the lunar limb, before the DSN reacquired the spacecraft signal and communications restored. Mission Profile • Launch: April 1, 2026, 6:24 p.m. EDT, Kennedy Space Center Pad 39B aboard SLS. • Trajectory: Free-return path — no lunar orbit insertion burn. Orion swings around the Moon and returns to Earth on its own ballistic arc. • Closest Approach: April 6, 7:00 p.m. EDT, 4,067 miles from the lunar surface. • Distance Record: April 6, 7:02 p.m. EDT, 252,756 miles from Earth. • Splashdown: April 10, approximately 8:07 p.m. EDT, Pacific Ocean off San Diego aboard USS John P. Murtha. Science Through Human Eyes One of the central arguments for crewed lunar flybys, and for crewed spaceflight generally, is that trained human observers see things cameras miss. The Artemis II crew demonstrated that premise throughout the observation window. Scientists in the Science Evaluation Room reported that crew color observations were particularly valuable: astronauts called out subtle shades of brown and blue in surface features that ground-based instruments struggle to resolve, and which can indicate mineral composition and surface age. The Orientale Basin, a 3.8-billion-year-old impact crater nearly 600 miles wide, was one of 30 surface targets on the crew's observation list. Credit: AI illustration The centerpiece of the science plan was Orientale Basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide impact structure straddling the boundary between the near and far sides of the Moon. Orientale formed roughly 3.8 billion years ago and retains dramatic concentric mountain rings and dark basalt pools at its center. It has been photographed extensively from orbit but never observed by human eyes at close range. The crew studied it from multiple angles as Orion arced past, relaying descriptions of the basin's ring system and interior that science teams were cross-referencing with existing orbital data. Hertzsprung Basin, roughly 400 miles wide and located northwest of Orientale on the far side, was also on the list. It's older than Orientale and its rings have been degraded by subsequent impacts, making it a useful comparison study for understanding how the Moon's surface has evolved. Crew observations there added data points that ground-based instruments cannot provide. Reiner Gamma, a bright mysterious swirl on the Moon's near side, was among the features observed during the approach phase. Reiner Gamma is also the target of a future CLPS commercial lander mission, and direct crew observation of the swirl's boundaries and brightness variations at closest approach distance added texture to the science case for that mission. A Solar Eclipse No One on Earth Could See AI-generated image As Orion passed behind the Moon at 8:35 p.m. EDT, the crew witnessed a total solar eclipse visible only from their unique position in space. Credit: AI illustration At 8:35 p.m. EDT, about an hour after the communications blackout ended, Orion entered a solar eclipse. The Sun aligned with the Moon and the spacecraft such that the Moon blocked the Sun's disk entirely, and the crew watched the solar corona, the Sun's outermost atmosphere, glow around the darkened lunar edge. It was a total solar eclipse visible only from their specific position in space, with no humans on Earth able to share the same view. The eclipse created a secondary science opportunity. With the Sun obscured, the crew watched the lunar surface for meteoroid impacts, flashes of light created when small rocks strike the Moon. Meteoroid impact studies require very specific lighting geometry and a direct line of sight to the surface, so the eclipse window was one of the better opportunities in the mission for that observation. Any confirmed flashes will be analyzed to improve models of the lunar impact environment, which matters for infrastructure planning on the Moon's surface. The eclipse lasted approximately one hour. When the Sun reappeared from behind the Moon, the crew had completed the most demanding phase of a mission that had already delivered multiple historic firsts. Breaking the Record, Naming the Moon AI-generated image Flight controllers at NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston monitored every phase of the lunar flyby, with the Science Evaluation Room staffed throughout the seven-hour observation window. Credit: AI illustration The distance record fell at 1:56 p.m. EDT on April 6, while Orion was still approaching the Moon. At 248,655 miles from Earth, the crew surpassed Apollo 13's 1970 mark. Hansen's remarks from the cabin carried a deliberate forward-looking quality: "We most importantly choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived." The implied goal, of course, is Artemis III and the first crewed lunar landing, currently targeting 2028. The record stood for less than 90 minutes. At 7:02 p.m. EDT, as Orion swung around the Moon, the spacecraft reached 252,756 miles from Earth. That is the new high-water mark for human spaceflight distance, and it will hold until the next crewed lunar mission. During the flyby, the crew informally proposed names for two craters visible from their windows. The first, just northwest of Orientale Basin, they called "Integrity," after their spacecraft. The name is deliberately tied to the mission's theme of testing Orion's systems under real spaceflight conditions. The second crater, northeast of Integrity on the near-far side boundary, the crew named "Carroll,"