Overview
- Orion, which skimmed past the Moon’s far side on Monday at about 6,545 kilometers, is now on a free-return course for a roughly four-day trip home.
- The crew reached 406,778 kilometers from Earth, breaking Apollo 13’s mark and becoming the first people to approach the Moon in more than 50 years.
- Radio contact dropped for about 40 minutes during the far-side pass because the Moon blocked signals, which mission design anticipated.
- The astronauts spent about seven hours observing lunar terrain and noting meteoroid flashes, work NASA’s Kelsey Young said is already yielding valuable science.
- NASA released new photos, including an Earth “setting” behind the lunar horizon and a total solar eclipse seen from Orion, as the crew continued the return leg.