Space: Artemis II breaks Apollo 13 record – humans have never been this far from Earth

Houston (USA), 6 Apr. (LaPresse/AP) – The astronauts on the Artemis II mission have broken the record for the greatest distance from Earth ever reached by humans, previously held by the Apollo 13 crew, who in 1970 reached a maximum distance of 248,655 miles from Earth (400,171 kilometres) just days after the oxygen tank rupture that triggered the famous “Houston, we have a problem”. Having surpassed Apollo 13, the Artemis II astronauts prepared for the lunar flyby. The Artemis II mission comprises three US astronauts and one Canadian – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. “I’m blown away by what you can see with the naked eye from the Moon right now. It’s simply incredible,” said Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen over the radio before the flyby, urging that “this generation and the next ensure this record doesn’t stand for long.”