07 | Artemis Explained: Moon flyby success

The Artemis II mission achieved a historic milestone as the astronauts successfully completed a flyby of the Moon, traveling 406,771 kilometers from Earth—6,000 kilometers farther than Apollo 13. The episode captures the emotional and scientific highlights of the journey, including the crew’s awe-inspiring views of the Moon’s far side, described as surprisingly greenish and browny with bright, snow-like features. A deeply moving moment occurred when the crew honored Reid Wiseman’s late wife by naming a lunar crater after her, leading to tears and a heartfelt group embrace. The astronauts also experienced a rare solar eclipse from space, with the Moon blocking the Sun and Earth visible in the background, while observing micrometeorite impacts. Despite minor technical challenges—such as a window-shielding shirt overheating and a temporary toilet malfunction—the mission proceeded smoothly, aided by gravity-assisted navigation and precise pre-planned trajectories. The crew is now en route back to Earth, with a splashdown expected in a few days, and Mission Control revealed a symbolic gesture: flipping their mission patches to show Earth in the foreground as they prepare to return.