Artemis II Makes History: Crew Breaks Human Deep-Space Distance Record
The Artemis II crew has officially broken the 56-year-old distance record set by Apollo 13, traveling over 248,655 miles from Earth.
A New Frontier in Human Exploration
History was rewritten on Monday afternoon as the Artemis II crew officially surpassed the deep-space distance record held for over half a century. At approximately 2:00 PM ET, the mission reached a distance of more than 248,655 miles from Earth, eclipsing the milestone set by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970.
The Orion spacecraft, named Integrity for this mission, eventually reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles as it swung around the far side of the Moon. This trajectory has placed the four-person crew further into the cosmos than any human beings in history.
A Tribute in the Stars
To commemorate the record-breaking moment, the crew held an emotional naming ceremony for two prominent lunar craters. While these designations remain unofficial until ratified by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the choices were deeply symbolic for the NASA team.
The first crater was named Integrity, in honor of their spacecraft. The second naming, however, was a poignant tribute to a fallen member of the NASA family. Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen announced the crew's proposal to name a particularly radiant lunar feature—described as a "bright spot on the Moon"—after Carroll Wiseman.
History was rewritten on Monday afternoon as the Artemis II crew officially surpassed the deep-space distance record held for over half a century.
Carroll, the wife of mission commander Reid Wiseman and mother to their two daughters, Katie and Ellie, passed away from cancer in 2020 at the age of 46.
"A number of years ago, we started this journey... and we lost a loved one," Hansen shared during a live NASA broadcast. "We would like to call it Carroll." Following the announcement, the crew was seen embracing inside the cabin, a rare moment of terrestrial intimacy nearly a quarter-million miles from home.
The Path Forward
The Artemis II mission serves as a critical flight test for NASA’s lunar framework. By orbiting the far side of the Moon—a region invisible from Earth—the crew is gathering vital data and imagery that will pave the way for future surface landings.
While the record distance marks a technical triumph for the Orion hardware and NASA's navigation systems, the naming of Crater Carroll ensures that the human element of exploration remains at the forefront of the Artemis program.
The crew is now preparing for the return leg of their journey, carrying with them a new world record and a legacy etched onto the lunar surface.