Featured Image Credit: NASA
Topics: Space, Nasa, World News, News, US News
Rhianna Benson
After surpassing a distance travelled by human beings, astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen laid their eyes on something never-before-seen.
The foursome was launched into space from Florida last Wednesday (1 Apr) for the previously delayed, $93 billion Artemis II mission to the Moon.
Five days after their expedition began, they temporarily lost contact with mission control, based in Houston, Texas - a necessary measure for travelling the outer circumference of the Moon. For around 40 minutes on Monday (6 Apr), the NASA team (and Hansen, from the Canadian Space Agency) had their radio and laser signals blocked by the Moon itself.
Thankfully, communication resumed, and the group made history, becoming the farthest humans from Earth there’s ever been, overtaking Apollo 11 legends Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong.
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The major milestone also made Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen the first people to lay their eyes on the dark side of the Moon first-hand.
In doing so, they discovered a never-before-seen detail - two craters they'd only ever observed drone footage of.
The team were given the responsibility of naming the pair of surface depressions - a decision that would prove an emotional one for Wiseman.
In 2020, the commander's wife, Carroll, had sadly passed away, aged 46, following a battle with cancer.
Communicating that the group had decided to name one of the craters in her honour, Hansen told mission control from 248,655 miles from Earth: "We lost a loved one, her name was Carroll, she was a mother of Katie and Ellie.
"It’s a bright spot on the Moon. We would like to call it Carroll."
He also explained of the crater: "There is a feature on the near side boundary of the Moon, and so at certain times we will be able to see it from Earth."
Hansen went on to add that the team had named the other crater, Integrity, after the ship upon which they're travelling.
"Integrity and Carroll crater. Loud and clear," mission control agents responded to the news, as per BBC.
After resuming contact with Earth following the high-stakes break, Koch delivered an awe-inspiring speech that began with four words: "Houston, Integrity, comm check."
She continued: "It is so great to hear from Earth again. To Asia, Africa and Oceana, we are looking back at you, we hear you can look up and see the Moon right now. We see you too.
"When we burned this bird towards the Moon, I said that we do not leave Earth, but we choose it, and that is true. We will explore, we will build, we will build ships, we will visit again.
"We will construct science outposts. We will drive rovers, we will do radio astronomy, we will found companies, we will bolster industry. We will inspire, but ultimately we will always choose Earth.
"We will always choose each other," she concluded.