‘Absolutely spectacular’: Artemis II crew see first glimpse of far side of Moon

Absolutely spectacular: Artemis II crew see first glimpse of far side of Moon

Nasa’s Artemis II crew shared their experience of witnessing the Moon’s far side for the first time. The team of astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen—have spent their third day aboard the Orion spacecraft, orbiting the lunar far side before returning to Earth. “Something about you senses that is not the Moon that I’m used to seeing,” Koch remarked, capturing the awe of the moment.

“Something about you senses that is not the Moon that I’m used to seeing,” said Christina Koch.

The crew captured an image of the Orientale basin, a landmark on the Moon’s far side. NASA highlighted that this marked “the first time the entire basin has been seen with human eyes.” At 23:00 BST on Saturday, the agency’s dashboard displayed the spacecraft more than 180,000 miles (289,681km) from Earth, as it continued its journey around the Moon.

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