Artemis II pilot Victor Glover.
Credit: Stephen Clark/Ars Technica
Artemis II pilot Victor Glover.
Credit: Stephen Clark/Ars Technica
Eclipse watchers on Earth know that the Moon’s passage in front of the Sun offers a rare opportunity to see the solar corona, the Sun’s outer atmosphere. The superheated corona extends millions of miles into space. For the Artemis II astronauts, the crown created a halo-like effect around the perimeter of the Moon.
“It shines behind the whole Moon,” said Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. “I thought it would look dark against a black sky or deep space, but the Sun lights up all around the Moon. You can see the entire perimeter of it… You can still make out little bits of topography around the whole limb. They just collide as you go around it.”
Glover, 49, continued his story by identifying stars and planets that are not easily visible when the spacecraft is illuminated by sunlight.
“It was an absolutely spectacular, spectacular experience,” Wiseman said after the eclipse was over. “Houston, if you could give me about 20 new perks in tomorrow’s mission summary, that would help my vocabulary a bit.”
Awesome in every way
The cosmic eclipse capped a remarkable day on the moon that began with a wake-up call recorded by former astronaut Jim Lovell before his death last year. Lovell flew around the moon twice, first in 1968 on Apollo 8, the first crewed mission to see the moon up close. He later became the commander of Apollo 13 in 1970, which set the record for human space flight. The moon landing mission was aborted.
“Welcome to my old neighborhood!” Lovell said in a pre-recorded message. “When Frank Borman, Bill Anders, and I orbited the Moon on Apollo 8, we got humanity’s first close look at the Moon and a view of the mother planet that inspires and unites people around the world. I’m proud to pass that torch to you – as you swing around the Moon and set the stage for its entire mission…” and I know how busy you’ll be, but don’t forget to enjoy the view.
Shortly after, Artemis II surpassed Lovell’s Apollo 13 record. Mission Control Astronaut Jenny Gibbons recorded the moment with a radio call to the Orion spacecraft. Hansen responded by asking the crew to name two craters on the Moon, one for them Honesty spaceship and another for Wiseman’s late wife Carroll, who died of cancer in 2020.
