Artemis II Commander Recounts 219,669-Nautical-Mile Overshoot, Fearing Crew Would Not Return
Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · Oct 22
Artemis II Commander Recounts 219,669-Nautical-Mile Overshoot, Fearing Crew Would Not Return
3 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · Oct 22
Summary
219,669 nautical miles from Earth, Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman said he felt “real fear” when Orion’s distance kept rising past the planned turn-back point before finally dropping.
Three minutes after mission control’s stated maximum of 219,667 nautical miles, the odometer still climbed, leading Wiseman to think the spacecraft had gone too far on the moon flyby.
The scare went unnoticed inside the cabin: Victor Glover and Christina Koch were observing the moon, while Jeremy Hansen was reporting to mission control, until Wiseman saw 219,668 and told them, “We’re going home.”
Wiseman credited NASA’s flight controllers and engineers for the safe return from the nearly 10-day mission, launched April 1 as the first crewed Orion flight and the first human lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.