Artemis II astronauts share moon joy during lunar flyby

During a historic lunar flyby, Artemis II astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft Integrity photographed and described features on the Moon's far side and observed an Earthset and a total solar eclipse.

Artemis II crew members described a mix of technical observation and personal wonder as they completed a lunar flyby. The astronauts worked to identify and photograph features on the far side of the Moon while narrating what they saw to mission control. Their live accounts included emotional reflections as well as scientific notes. NASA mission control and the mission science lead responded to the crew's descriptions during the event. Key observations: - The Artemis II team conducted a historic lunar flyby aboard the Orion spacecraft Integrity and focused on photographing and identifying surface features on the Moon's far side. - The crew includes Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist) and Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency mission specialist). - Astronauts reported vivid views such as the Moon's terminator line, impact craters, and real-time flashes on the surface reported as possible meteor strikes. - The crew observed an Earthset and a total solar eclipse from the spacecraft, and noted visible planets and a field of stars around the darkened lunar disk. - Mission control reacted with laughter and informal celebration, while mission science lead Kelsey Young described the shared experience and noted the crew's training to give scientific descriptions, including fieldwork in moonlike terrain. Summary: The astronauts' live descriptions and images highlighted both scientific observation and emotional response, drawing public attention to the lunar flyby and the views it produced. Undetermined at this time.