{"aiVersion":"1","content":{"id":"cmnnx0tt10004ll6d23ggdidw","slug":"artemis-ii-a-human-flyby-of-the-moon-20260407","title":"Artemis II: A Human Flyby of the Moon","level":"MEDIUM","publishedAt":"2026-04-07T01:03:11.703Z"},"topic":{"slug":"artemis-ii-a-human-flyby-of-the-moon-20260407","category":"science"},"article":{"paragraphs":["Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed mission that has flown around the Moon since Apollo. The four-person crew, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, have been testing the Orion spacecraft while they take high-resolution photos of the lunar far side. The mission has collected observations that will be shared with scientists after the crew regains full communications.","During the flyby the spacecraft passed behind the Moon and mission control experienced a planned communications blackout that lasted about 40 minutes. While the crew worked in that blackout window, Orion reached its closest approach at roughly 4,070 miles above the surface and then reached its maximum distance from Earth at about 252,760 miles, a new human distance record. Although the crew proposed names for two new lunar craters, official naming will follow international rules.","The mission is designed as a flyby test and Orion will use a free-return trajectory to come home. Splashdown is scheduled on Flight Day 10 and the crew will be recovered at sea in the Pacific Ocean. The work done on this flight will help prepare for future lunar landings."],"wordCount":185,"readTime":2},"vocabulary":[{"word":"blackout","example":"The spacecraft had a short radio blackout.","phonetic":"/ˈblæk.aʊt/","definition":"a period without radio or other communications"},{"word":"closest approach","example":"The closest approach was about 4,070 miles.","phonetic":"/ˈkloʊ.sɪst əˈproʊtʃ/","definition":"the nearest distance reached to another object"},{"word":"distance record","example":"The mission set a new distance record.","phonetic":"/ˈdɪs.təns ˈrɛk.ɔːrd/","definition":"the farthest distance reached by humans so far"},{"word":"free-return trajectory","example":"Orion is on a free-return trajectory to come home.","phonetic":"/friː rɪˈtɜːrn trəˈdʒɛktəri/","definition":"a flight path that uses gravity to return a spacecraft to Earth"}],"quiz":[{"answer":"about 40 minutes","question":"How long was the communications blackout?"},{"answer":"about 252,760 miles","question":"What was the crew's maximum distance from Earth?"},{"answer":"Flight Day 10","question":"On which Flight Day is splashdown scheduled?"}],"discussion":[{"question":"Do you think seeing Earth from far away changes how people feel? How?"},{"question":"Have you ever been away from home and missed family? What did you do?"},{"question":"What do you think is exciting about taking photos in space?"},{"question":"Would you like to travel to the Moon if you had a chance? Why or why not?"}]}