AdvertisementThis image provided by NASA shows a downlink image of Earth taken by NASA’s Artemis II astronaut commander Reid Wiseman inside the Orion capsule on Friday, Apr 3, 2026. (Photo: AP/NASA)05 Apr 2026 05:22AM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInAdd CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST HOUSTON: The Artemis astronauts were gearing up on Saturday (Apr 4) for their long-anticipated lunar flyby, including reviewing the surface features they must analyse and photograph during their time circling the Moon."Morale is high on board," commander Reid Wiseman told Houston's Mission Control centre as the space crew's work day began.Upon waking around 1635 GMT on Saturday, the astronauts were approximately 169,000 miles (271,979 kilometres) from Earth, and approaching the Moon at 110,700 miles (178,154 kilometres), according to NASA.The next major milestone of the approximately 10-day journey is expected overnight Sunday into Monday, when the astronauts will enter the "lunar sphere of influence" when the Moon's gravity will have a stronger pull on the spacecraft than Earth's. If all proceeds smoothly, as Orion whips around the Moon the astronauts could set a record by venturing farther from Earth than any human before.CREW PREPARES FOR MILESTONEShow MoreShow LessWiseman along with fellow Americans Christina Koch and Victor Glover, as well as Canadian Jeremy Hansen, are on a historic journey around the Moon, which they are soon due to slingshot around. It is a feat Wiseman has dubbed "Herculean" and which humanity has not accomplished in more than half a century.The astronauts kicked off their day with a meal that included scrambled eggs and coffee, NASA said, and had woken up to the tune of Chappell Roan's pop smash "Pink Pony Club."Later on Saturday, Glover was due to perform a manual piloting demonstration to provide NASA with more data regarding the spacecraft's performance in deep space. After that, the crew was planning to go over their checklist for documenting their experience travelling around the Moon.The astronauts have had geology training in order to be able to photograph and describe lunar features, including ancient lava flows and impact craters.This image taken from video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew, from left, Canadien astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch and pilot Victor Glover as they appear on a video conference from the moon's orbit Thursday, April 2, 2026. (Photo: AP/NASA)UNIQUE VANTAGE POINTThey will see the Moon from a unique vantage point compared with the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s. Apollo flights flew some 70 miles above the lunar surface, but the Artemis 2 crew will be just over 4,000 miles at their closest approach, allowing them to see the complete, circular surface of the Moon, including regions near both poles.The crew has been busy taking photographs, including with smartphones, devices NASA recently approved for spaceflights. The space agency has released images from Orion that included a full portrait of Earth, featuring its deep blue oceans and billowing clouds.NASA official Lakiesha Hawkins praised the photographs taken by commander Wiseman, calling them "amazing" during a briefing on Friday. "We continue to learn all about our spacecraft as we operate it in deep space with crew for the first time," Hawkins said.LONGER-TERM LUNAR AMBITIONSThe Artemis 2 mission is part of a longer-term plan to repeatedly return to the Moon, with the goal of establishing a permanent lunar base that will offer a platform for further exploration.It is a highly anticipated journey that demands exacting precision, but there is still room for the astronauts to live out their childhood dreams of spaceflight."It just makes me feel like a little kid," Hansen said recently, describing the joy of floating.Artemis astronauts more than halfway to Moon, putting Earth in rearviewSpaceX delays next Starship test launch by a month, Musk saysArtemis capsule boost puts astronauts moon-bound for record-breaking journeySource: AFP/fsSign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST