Axios
Artemis II's four astronauts have officially gone where no one has gone before, setting on Monday a new distance-from-Earth record for human spaceflight. Why it matters: Artemis II broke Apollo 13's 248,655-mile record, set over 55 years ago on that ill-fated ship's emergency flight home. Driving the news: The lunar quartet has further to go yet. They'll reach their maximum distance (252,760 miles) just after 7 p.m. ET tonight. What's next: The crew is starting their seven-hour lunar orbit and observation period this afternoon. (Watch live.) At 6:44 p.m. ET, the crew will enter an expected 40-minute radio blackout on the dark side of the Moon. They will later witness a solar eclipse, with the Moon blocking the Sun from their perspective. Also planned: A chance to shoot a new version of "Earthrise" — perhaps the Apollo era's most famous photo not taken on the Moon itself. What they're saying: Apollo 8 and 13's Jim Lovell, in a message to the Artemis II crew recorded before his 2015 death: "Welcome to my old neighborhood!" "It's a historic day and I know how busy you'll be, but don't forget to enjoy the view."
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