Today is the day! The Artemis II mission has entered the lunar sphere of influence and will be flying past the dark side of the Moon today! Ever since humans first gazed upon the moon, they have marveled at its mysteries! There have been poems, songs and stories, scientific research, and of course speculation on who could be living there. Today we begin to find answers as humans will be a mere 4,000 miles away from the dark side of the Moon!

The crew of the Orion will have 10 science objectives and 35 different targets to work on during the 7 hour flyby to record as many detailed observations as they can. According to NASA here is the timetable for today’s historic mission with all times at Eastern Daylight Time and subject to change: 

• 1 p.m.: NASA+ coverage of lunar flyby begins. 
• 1:56 p.m.: The crew will surpass the record for humans’ farthest distance from Earth, previously set by Apollo 13 in 1970. 
• 2:10 p.m.: Crew remarks on breaking Apollo 13 distance record (audio only) 
• 2:15 p.m.: Crew configures Orion’s cabin for flyby operations 
• 2:45 p.m.: Lunar observation begins 
• 6:44 p.m.: Predicted loss of communications as crew heads behind the Moon (approximately 40 minutes) 
• 7:02 p.m. Orion closest approach to the Moon (4,070 miles)
• 7:07 p.m.: Orion reaches maximum distance from Earth (252,757 miles) 
• 7:25 p.m.: Earthrise marks Earth coming back into view on the opposite edge of the Moon; Predicted acquisition of communications as crew reemerges from behind the Moon
• 8:35-9:32 p.m.: During a solar eclipse, the Sun will pass behind the Moon from the crew’s perspective
• 9:20 p.m.: Lunar observations conclude

You can find links to follow along in real time on NASA: Artemis II. There is also a resource page at Artemis II Multimedia, that is filled with fascinating information about NASA’s first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years!