# Back to the Moon! Artemis program follow along (it's finally happening!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 27, 2022, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432 "2022-08-27T12:25:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 34
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/661 "2026-04-03T01:05:32Z")
Never mind ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/662 "2026-04-03T01:34:24Z")
A United flight had a perfect view of the launch, and one of the passengers posted a video on Instagram. Very cool!: [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWnO3IgjUrv/?igsh=czl3OG5tbjl2aXM4](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWnO3IgjUrv/?igsh=czl3OG5tbjl2aXM4) ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/663 "2026-04-03T01:46:01Z")
As an aside, I don’t know if he was buried or cremated but, when they start actually landing on the moon, to take and leave a bit of Neil Armstrong’s remains. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/664 "2026-04-03T02:01:46Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Cool. That helped me understand that today’s orbit around Earth was a long ellipse that took them far from our planet (several thousand miles – anyone know how far, exactly?). Now they’re picking up speed as they fall back close to Earth. In 18 minutes, they’ll do the TLI burn just as they whip around the Earth like a slingshot. > > ETA: It looks like it was about 25,000 miles – that’s ten percent of the way to the moon! Nope – actually, it was **46,000 miles** – fully one-fifth of the way to the moon! That seemed odd to me, since it took like seven hours to get out there, so shouldn’t the whole trip to the moon just take a day or two? No, it takes longer…because, as y’all explained, it slows down as it gets further from Earth (then, layer, with relatively modest speeding up as it gets closer to the Moon). ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/665 "2026-04-03T03:06:59Z")
It had been a couple weeks, so I texted my best friend a “What’s up, how’s it going?” Then we essentially simultaneously texted that we were eagerly watching the Artemis live feed. The thing is, I had _NO_ idea he was into space/ NASA. We normally text about movies and football. We proceeded to geek out at the whole mission for a good while. I’m loving this. I don’t give a rat’s ass about the cost. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/666 "2026-04-03T03:26:13Z")
As I write this, 10:25PM Central time, they’re going about 7600MPH and are about 33,000 miles out - now, 1/8 of the way there! ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/667 "2026-04-03T07:10:16Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > A United flight had a perfect view of the launch, and one of the passengers posted a video on Instagram. Very cool!: [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWnO3IgjUrv/?igsh=czl3OG5tbjl2aXM4](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWnO3IgjUrv/?igsh=czl3OG5tbjl2aXM4) Very cool indeed! Tonight as I was driving home, the full moon was down low in the sky and it looked beautiful… … and I couldn’t help but think excitedly of that crew of 4, on their way there. It’s been a very long time since I had that feeling! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/668 "2026-04-03T10:01:35Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > , the full moon was down low in the sky and it looked beautiful… > > … and I couldn’t help but think excitedly of that crew of 4, on their way there. > > It’s been a very long time since I had that feeling! I had exactly the same thought when I got home after my evening out. Sky was dark and clear; ideal viewing. I pulled out my binoculars & scanned around the Moon a bit. I know they passed through my field of view but of course they were invisibly small and non-reflective. Same as I did for all the Apollos that left Earth orbit. As you say, a long time and it felt good to feel it again. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/669 "2026-04-03T10:24:34Z")
Cloudy here, and snowing. Not a lot of snow, but enough to prove that it is cloudy. Anyway, no view of the moon for me, sadly. I don’t think I’ve taken this much interest in a space mission since the Apollo missions actually. I’m enjoying following along. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/670 "2026-04-03T10:33:13Z")
It’s quite remarkable how much Orion has been slowing as it continues flying away from the earth. Starting out at just shy of 25,000 mph, right now it’s going 4,885 mph and is 72,227 miles from earth. The rate of slowdown is now quite small because it’s so far from earth. As it gets closer to the moon, it will pass an equilibrium point where the gravitational pull from the earth and the moon are equal (the L1 Lagrange point) after which it will start speeding up again as the moon pulls it in. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/671 "2026-04-03T11:55:05Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Starting out at just shy of 25,000 mph, right now it’s going 4,885 mph and is 72,227 miles from earth NASA spent all that effort developing brand-new guidance and control software in Matlab and it uses miles and hours as units?? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/672 "2026-04-03T11:58:23Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > That’s a live tracker and down to the second. I don’t get what more one would want short of being in CAPCOM. Yeah, I suppose that’s the best I’ll get. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/673 "2026-04-03T12:29:01Z")
You can thank Reagan for that. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/674 "2026-04-03T14:19:18Z")
from: [bbc.com](http://bbc.com) (but similar in other media) # Day 6 ## 6 April - The Artemis II crew will **pass around the far-side of the Moon** - this will be the closest they come to the lunar surface ## \* They will also be further from the Earth than any astronaut has previously travelled - The crew will spend most of the day taking photos and videos of the Moon, and recording their observations - During their journey around the Moon the crew will **lose contact with Earth for around 40 minutes** . . I understand the “further from the Earth than any astronaut…” is not true (long side vs. short side of an oval and all that) ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/675 "2026-04-03T14:25:55Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > I understand the “further from the Earth than any astronaut…” is not true I have been asking about that for weeks, but nobody seems to want to answer. > [@Al128](#): > > During their journey around the Moon the crew will **lose contact with Earth for around 40 minutes** Seems like the perfect setup for a whodunnit. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/676 "2026-04-03T14:36:12Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > > [@Al128](#): > > > > I understand the “further from the Earth than any astronaut…” is not true > > I have been asking about that for weeks, but nobody seems to want to answer. Have they published the mission plan? Should be relatively straightforward to calculate the distance from the Earth at any given time. I doubt that the precise distance from the Earth is a factor in designing this type of mission, however. You do not want to fly way past the Moon’s orbit for no reason, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/677 "2026-04-03T14:47:50Z")
The **[Guinnes Book of Records](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/farthest-distance-from-earth-reached-by-humans)** claims: > The highest altitude reached by humans is 400,041 km (248,573 mi), achieved by American astronauts James Lovell, Fred Haise and John Swigert in the severely damaged Apollo 13 spacecraft. The record-breaking flight was made between 11 and 17 April 1970 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, and reached its farthest point from Earth at 00:33 UTC on 15 April, during their free-return loop around the far side of the Moon. Wikipedia, in its article about the orbit of the Moon, section **[elliptic shape](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbit_of_the_Moon#Elliptic_shape)**, states: > The orbit of the Moon has an eccentricity of 0.0549, with perigee and apogee distances of 363,300 km (225744 mi) and 405,507 km (251970 mi) respectively (a difference of 11.6%). So if the first statement is true, and the Moon is not pretty close to the apogee on the 6th of april they will not be the furthest away from earth ever. > [@DPRK](#): > > I doubt that the precise distance from the Earth is a factor in designing this type of mission, however. This would be so stupid that I would not put it past the current administration (and I use this word loosely). Now, where can I find out where in the continuum perigee - apogee the Moon is when Artemis II flies behind the moon during those ominous 40 minutes? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/678 "2026-04-03T14:51:44Z")
You can get precise Solar System data off of JPL Horizons: [Horizons System](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons/) ---
**Author:** ![ThisOneGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@ThisOneGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisOneGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/679 "2026-04-03T15:03:55Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Now, where can I find out where in the continuum perigee - apogee the Moon is when Artemis II flies behind the moon during those ominous 40 minutes? Not precise, but this page [Moon Distance Calculator – How Close is Moon to Earth?](https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/distance.html) shows apogee at 404,970 km on Apr 7, the flyby is Apr 6, so I don’t think anybodies pulling a fast one on farthest ever from Earth. Not at exact apogee, but should easily surpass the 400,041. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/680 "2026-04-03T15:24:56Z")
Maybe, but you cannot calculate it like that. The Moon’s distance from the centre of the Earth is 403956 km on Apr. 6 and increasing towards apogee. Max Earth radius is 6378 km, so subtract that, then add in the Moon’s radius so the far side is \> 399314 km from the surface of the Earth; if they go a few thousand km past the Moon, which seems to be the plan, they could then easily beat 400041. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432.md?page=33) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432.md?page=35)