Artemis II crew breaks distance record on mission around far side of moon

Amna Nawaz:

Today marks an historic moment for NASA's Artemis II moon mission, as the crew flies to the far side of the moon and sets a record for the farthest distance from Earth traveled by any human in history. The four astronauts are on a voyage around the moon and back.

Today's part of the mission is the most anticipated, a seven-hour flyby that circles the moon, more than 250,000 miles away from the Earth.

This afternoon, mission specialist Christina Koch spoke about the capsule's approach to the moon with a science officer back at NASA.

Christina Koch, Artemis II Crew Member:

Kelsey, it's so great to hear your voice on the loop. I just want to channel everything that you guys are probably feeling right through my eyes and heart. It is awesome to see this side of the moon.

You guys made us excited for this day, and we couldn't appreciate it anymore. And we are ready to hopefully deliver on all the awesome training you guys have provided.

Amna Nawaz:

Joining us once again is our science correspondent, Miles O'Brien.

So, Miles, this crew of three Americans, one Canadian traveled the furthest distance ever traveled by humans from Earth. There's a moment when the mission commander, Reid Wiseman, sees a crater on the moon that's never been seen before. Tell us about that moment.

Miles O'Brien:

Amna, I have been covering space for decades and I can't remember a moment quite like this from an astronaut speaking back to the planet Earth.

Perhaps we could go back to the Apollo 8 crew reading from Genesis, but this one was distinctly personal. Reid Wiseman was looking at specific features on the moon and took a moment to dedicate one feature to his late wife, Carroll.

Listen.

Reid Wiseman, Artemis II Mission Commander:

A number of years ago, we started this journey in our close-knit astronaut family, and we lost a loved one. And there's a feature in a really neat place on the moon, and it is on the near side/far side boundary.

In fact, it's just on the near side of that boundary. And so, at certain times of the moon's transit around Earth, you can -- we will be able to see this from Earth. And so we lost a loved one. Her name was Carroll, the spouse of Reid, the mother of Katie and Ellie.

And we would like to call her Carroll. And you spell that C-A-R-R-O-L-L.

Miles O'Brien:

A bright spot on the moon dedicated to his late wife.

Reid Wiseman has spoken openly and candidly and emotionally about being a single father to two daughters and doing the risky things he does. And all of it made that moment very poignant, Amna.

Amna Nawaz:

Such a beautiful moment. Just puts it all into perspective perfectly, doesn't it?

Miles, I know we have been talking to you along the way. You have been documenting some of the issues they had right before liftoff, a few issues early in the mission. Since last we spoke, have there been any other issues, any challenges for this crew?

Miles O'Brien:

Well, they continue to have difficulties with the toilet, Amna, I'm sorry to report, after that poignant moment.

(Laughter)

Miles O'Brien:

But this is -- the truth is, this is a test mission. And on a test flight, you want to wring out all these little details.

If you were going to Mars and the toilet didn't work, that could be a real problem. So, understanding how a space toilet works -- and apparently it's not easy -- 23 million bucks, and this is what you get, it's complicated. So they still are unable to go number one in the toilet. And that remains a problem.

If that's the only problem, that's good. But it is a problem to contend with, ultimately. This mission is all about testing out these things, making sure the crew is comfortable, not too cold, not too warm, that they can fly the spacecraft manually.

And ultimately, on Friday, will the heat shield, which was problematic on the first flight of Artemis 3.5 years ago, make sure that heat shield protects them against the 5,000-degree Fahrenheit heat that they will encounter as they come back in? So that's the main event for this mission.

Amna Nawaz:

And, as you have been reporting, Miles, this is all leading to a potential moon landing in 2028. This is the sort of test case for all of that. So what can we expect? From what we have learned so far, does that seem possible?

Miles O'Brien:

Well, so -- this has proven the Space Launch System works. The capsule seems to be working pretty well. I'm sure they will wring out all the issues that they're dealing with.

Ultimately, no bucks, no Buck Rogers is the expression. If you really want to build a sustained presence on the moon, it's a lot of missions and a lot of investment. The Trump administration has been sort of to and fro and has been not committed to funding for NASA. As a matter of fact, it tried to cut the agency budget by about 25 percent, science missions by 50 percent.

That money got re-upped. Without that money and that sustained commitment, it's unlikely we will see a sustained presence on the moon in as little as two years. And they also have to build a lander that will make it to the surface safely, as well as a spacesuit for astronauts to walk on. the moon.

So there's a lot of work ahead. And it's unclear whether this mission, as successful as it is, will continue at a kind of pace that will lead to that encampment.

Amna Nawaz:

Science correspondent Miles O'Brien.

Miles, always great to speak with you. Thank you so much.

Miles O'Brien:

You're welcome, Amna.