Four astronauts have surpassed the distance record set during Apollo 13 in 1970 — and are calling on the next generation to break it again…reports Asian Lite News
Four NASA astronauts have set a new record for the farthest distance ever travelled from Earth by humans, surpassing a milestone that had stood for more than half a century as part of the first crewed lunar mission since the Apollo era.
Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen crossed the historic threshold six days into their mission, travelling 248,655 miles from Earth before reaching a peak distance of approximately 252,756 miles — breaking the previous record set during the Apollo 13 mission in 1970.
The crew is currently on a 10-day mission designed to test NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in a deep space environment. The mission includes a lunar flyby before the crew returns to Earth, with splashdown scheduled off the coast of San Diego on April 10.
Speaking from aboard the Orion spacecraft, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen marked the moment with a challenge to future generations. “We will continue our journey even further into space before Mother Earth succeeds in pulling us back to everything that we hold dear,” he said. “We most importantly choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived.”
During the lunar flyby, the crew conducted extensive observations, capturing high-resolution images of the Moon and studying its surface features, including craters and geological formations. The spacecraft came within approximately 4,067 miles of the lunar surface — offering the astronauts views of regions not previously seen directly by humans. The crew also witnessed a solar eclipse as the Moon passed in front of the Sun, and endured a planned communications blackout of around 40 minutes as the spacecraft passed behind the Moon.
Dr. Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, said the mission represented more than a record. “Their dedication is about more than breaking records — it’s fuelling our hope for a bold future,” she said. “Their mission is carrying our promise to return to the Moon’s surface, this time to stay as we establish a Moon Base.”
Artemis II is the first crewed mission in NASA’s broader Artemis programme, which aims to return humans to the Moon and establish a sustained presence there — a platform the agency also sees as a stepping stone toward future human missions to Mars.
The last time astronauts travelled beyond low Earth orbit was during the Apollo missions more than five decades ago. By surpassing that record, Artemis II marks the most significant step in deep space human exploration in a generation.
