By Julianna Multari
On April 1st, the launch of the Artemis II mission took place. This mission was unlike any other, as it set the record for the farthest humans have traveled beyond Earth’s orbit, surpassing the previous record set by the Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970. Pretty cool, right? While in NASA’s past missions humans have landed directly on the moon, this recent launch marks the farthest we have traveled into the vast universe. This is because Artemis II traveled completely around the Moon, reaching a distance of 252,756 miles from Earth, while gaining a perfect view of the moon’s backside, a rare view which no human has seen before. According to the podcast NASA’S Curious Universe, “On April 6, 2026, four astronauts flew past the Moon and reached a distance farther from Earth than anyone has traveled, ever. They saw the Moon in ways that no human ever has, including a period of about 40 minutes when they flew behind the Moon, completely out of contact with all of us on Earth.”
This historical moment was achieved by using the Earth’s and the Moon’s gravity to naturally guide the crew through space, and safely back home. The crew was able to take beautifully detailed photos of the moon, and even name craters on the lunar surface that have not been discovered until now. The crew consisted of commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. Fortunately, they had a safe and precise trip home, and on April 10th splashed down off the coast of San Diego.
This event is truly a monumental moment for all of humankind, pushing the limits of what anyone thought was possible. With continued advancement in space exploration, hopes remain that in the future, we will be able to travel even greater distances into the cosmos. Now is the time to ask yourself: will you be the one making space history next?