NASA published a photograph of the far side of the Moon on Sunday, taken by the crew of the Artemis II mission, which is one day away from its goal of becoming the first crewed mission to reach the satellite's orbit in over half a century. In the image, taken on Saturday, April 4, the Moon is shown upside down, with its South Pole pointing upwards and a complete view of the Moon's Eastern Basin, which, according to the space agency, has never before been seen in its entirety by human eyes. The Eastern Basin will be a continuous object of study for the crew—composed of Commander Reid Wiseman and astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—who are expected to arrive at a strategic observation point on the far side of the Moon on Monday, April 6, after traveling the farthest distance from Earth in history: 406,773 kilometers. On Sunday, the astronauts reviewed a detailed list of lunar surface features they will photograph and analyze during their six-hour flyby on April 6, when the main Orion capsule windows will be pointed at the Moon. As the crew, who will not land on the Moon, passes over the far side, they will lose radio communication with mission control for about 40 minutes, which is fully under control, according to NASA. And after a 10-day journey, the four astronauts are scheduled to arrive off the coast of San Diego next Friday, April 10, where the Orion capsule will splash down in the sea. The farthest interview in history The Artemis II astronauts confirmed from space in an interview with NBC that they had gotten their first look at the far side of the Moon, which they plan to fly over on Monday, marking a milestone as the first crewed mission to do so. In the interview, which NBC's reporter said was conducted 'at the farthest distance in history,' astronaut Christina Koch expressed her surprise and gratitude at being able to see this farther side of the natural satellite as they passed a microphone floating around the Orion spacecraft. 'Well, last night we had our first view of the far side of the Moon and it was absolutely spectacular, and there's something in your senses that tells you it's not the Moon I'm used to seeing,' she said. 'And indeed, we pulled our lunar navigation data and compared it, and we said: that's the dark side,' she stated, becoming the first woman to travel to the Moon on one of NASA's most diverse missions, which also includes African American pilot Victor Glover, Canadian Jeremy Hansen, and Commander Reid Wiseman. During the interview, conducted about 287,000 kilometers from Earth, the astronauts asked if it was Saturday on their planet, noting they had lost all track of time.
