HOUSTON (AP) — Following the success of their historic lunar flyby, the astronauts of Artemis II joyfully connected with their friends aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday, marking the first-ever radio communication between a lunar mission and a space station. Unlike NASA’s Apollo crews who operated in isolation during the 1960s and 1970s, this unprecedented communication bridged a distance of approximately 230,000 miles (370,000 kilometers).
Artemis II crew member Christina Koch chatted with Jessica Meir aboard the ISS, commemorating their shared experience from the first all-female spacewalk in 2019. The conversation was facilitated by Houston's Mission Control, connecting four Artemis II astronauts with three NASA members and one French astronaut currently stationed in orbit.
As dawn broke, commander Reid Wiseman shared captivating images from their lunar passage, including a stunning Earthset photo reminiscent of the iconic Earthrise shot taken during Apollo 8 in 1968.
The Artemis II mission is the first lunar expedition since Apollo 17 in 1972, with the crew set to splash down off the coast of San Diego on Friday after their nearly 10-day test flight. This mission lays the groundwork for upcoming explorations, including Artemis III's lunar lander docking demonstration next year and Artemis IV, which is slated for 2028, aiming to land near the lunar south pole.
Artemis II crew member Christina Koch chatted with Jessica Meir aboard the ISS, commemorating their shared experience from the first all-female spacewalk in 2019. The conversation was facilitated by Houston's Mission Control, connecting four Artemis II astronauts with three NASA members and one French astronaut currently stationed in orbit.
As dawn broke, commander Reid Wiseman shared captivating images from their lunar passage, including a stunning Earthset photo reminiscent of the iconic Earthrise shot taken during Apollo 8 in 1968.
The Artemis II mission is the first lunar expedition since Apollo 17 in 1972, with the crew set to splash down off the coast of San Diego on Friday after their nearly 10-day test flight. This mission lays the groundwork for upcoming explorations, including Artemis III's lunar lander docking demonstration next year and Artemis IV, which is slated for 2028, aiming to land near the lunar south pole.
