NASA's Artemis II crew witnessed a rare solar eclipse lasting nearly an hour during their historic flyby of the moon's far side on April 6, capturing images of regions no human has ever seen before.
The four astronauts — Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen — traveled more than 406,700 kilometers from Earth, surpassing the Apollo 13 distance record. During their seven-hour lunar flyby, they documented impact craters, ancient lava flows, and surface fractures while alternating shifts at Orion's windows.
The crew observed the entirety of the Orientale basin crater, its dark center filled with dried lava from eruptions billions of years ago. They proposed naming two nearby smaller craters Integrity, after their spacecraft, and Carroll, after Wiseman's late wife.
There is just so much magic in the terminator – the islands of light, the valleys that look like black holes [where] you'd fall straight to the centre of the moon if you stepped in some of those. It's just so visually captivating
Victor Glover, Astronaut — New Scientist
Glover expressed particular fascination with the moon's terminator — the boundary between day and night where sunlight creates dramatic shadows that reveal terrain details invisible under full illumination.
Frames the mission as a triumphant return to lunar exploration, emphasizing the scientific and visual achievements with detailed descriptions of the astronauts' observations. The coverage celebrates human space exploration milestones while highlighting the technical and aesthetic accomplishments of the crew's documentation efforts.
Presents the mission as a major institutional success, emphasizing the scientific data collection and record-breaking achievements. The framing focuses on NASA's technical capabilities and the inspirational value of the images, positioning the agency as delivering on its promises for lunar exploration.
Covers the mission as a significant space milestone while focusing on the technical aspects and visual documentation of the eclipse phenomenon. The reporting emphasizes the historical context of returning humans to lunar vicinity after decades, treating it as an international scientific achievement rather than specifically American.
The eclipse occurred while Orion was positioned behind the moon, with the sun completely hidden while Earth's reflected light continued illuminating the lunar surface facing home. During this period, the crew lost communication with mission control but continued photographing and recording observations.
The astronauts also reported witnessing six meteoroid impact flashes on the darkened lunar surface and captured images showing both Earth and moon in different phases simultaneously.
The moon is a gibbous and the Earth is a crescent
Jeremy Hansen, Astronaut — New Scientist
Earth's reflected sunlight proved so bright that the crew covered one window with a spare shirt to manage the glare. They documented earthset and earthrise sequences as their orbital perspective shifted.
Our four Artemis II astronauts — Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy — took humanity on an incredible journey around the Moon and brought back images so exquisite and brimming with science, they will inspire generations to come
Dr. Nicky Fox, Associate Administrator — NASA News
The mission marks humanity's return to lunar vicinity for the first time since 1972. The crew is now heading back to Earth, with splashdown expected off California's coast on April 10.