Episode
Humanity's Farthest Journey: Artemis II Flies the Moon
- Published
- Apr 7, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1065
- Processing state
processed- Canonical source
- http://astronomydaily.io
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Summary
The Artemis II crew has completed the most significant human spaceflight milestone since 1972 — a historic lunar flyby that took four astronauts further from Earth than any humans in history. In today's episode, Anna and Avery cover every moment of Flight Days 6 and 7, including the far-side blackout, a solar eclipse observed from beyond the Moon, and what comes next on the journey home. Plus: NASA faces another proposed 47% science budget cut, a cargo ship heads to the space station, Europe and China are about to launch a groundbreaking solar shield explorer called SMILE, and Blue Origin reveals its ambitious plan to map the Moon's hidden water ice. Today's Stories 1. Artemis II Days 6 & 7: The Lunar Flyby • The crew of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen completed a 7-hour lunar flyby on April 6 • Orion reached a maximum distance of 252,760 miles from Earth, surpassing the Apollo 13 record of 248,655 miles • Closest lunar approach: 4,067 miles above the surface at approximately 7 p.m. EDT • Christina Koch became the first woman to complete a lunar flyby • The crew witnessed an Earthset, Earthrise, and a solar eclipse from behind the far side of the Moon • Day 7 is a rest day; splashdown in the Pacific is targeted for April 10 2. NASA FY2027 Budget Proposal • White House proposes $18.8 billion for NASA — a 23% overall reduction • Science Mission Directorate would be cut by 47%, from $7.25B to $3.9B • More than 40 missions face termination; Mars Sample Return and SERVIR named explicitly • Exploration/Artemis funding would increase by ~10% • Congress rejected nearly identical cuts last year 3. Cygnus NG-24 ISS Resupply • Launch targeted April 8 from Cape Canaveral on SpaceX Falcon 9 • Named S.S. Steven R. Nagel after four-time shuttle vete…