Artemis II crew enters moon’s ‘sphere of influence’ ahead of historic flyby
Astronauts aboard Nasa’s Orion capsule now feel the moon’s gravitational pull more strongly than that of the Earth
The pull of the moon's gravity on the Artemis II Orion capsule has officially become stronger than Earth's influence on the spacecraft from early Monday morning.
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As Orion flew 39,000 miles (62,764 kilometres) above the moon and 232,000 miles (373,368 km) from Earth, the Artemis II crew crossed the celestial threshold.
The crew have become the first people to cross this threshold since the Apollo 17 crew in 1972.
The next key milestone for Artemis II will be the trip later on Monday to the far side of the moon.
Read more: Artemis II astronauts catch first glimpse of Moon's far side 'never seen with human eyes'
It will zoom about 4,000 miles (6,400 km) miles above the moon, during a flyby that will slingshot the crew back toward Earth.
Lori Glaze, the deputy associate administrator for Nasa’s Exploration Systems Development Mission, said on Sunday, “We’re all extremely excited for tomorrow.”
“Our flight operations team and our science team are ready for the first lunar flyby in more than 50 years.”
The flyby, which will last about six hours, will give the crew the opportunity to observe the moon with their naked eyes, and cameras on board the spacecraft.
The journey promises views of the moon’s far side that the 24 Apollo astronauts preceding them were unable to see.
The astronauts will not touch down on the lunar surface, but they are expected to break the record for the farthest distance from Earth during their pass around the moon, venturing further into space than anyone before.