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Artemis II astronauts on course to set new distance record during moon flyby

The Guardian · · 725 words · By Edward Helmore
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/06/artemis-ii-astronauts-record-moo…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

10 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

help Insufficient Evidence 6
verified Verified By Reference 3
check_circle Corroborated 1
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“Artemis II astronauts are on course to set a new distance record Monday when they fly by the moon without stopping there – and then swing around for planet Earth.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to confirm the specific claim about Artemis II setting a distance record on Monday.
verified
“The four astronauts [...] will become Earth’s farthest travelled, going 5,000 miles (8,047km) beyond the moon, exceeding the distance record set by 1970’s ill-fated Apollo 13.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entries for Artemis II, Artemis III, and the Artemis program do not mention the specific 5,000-mile distance claim or its comparison to Apollo 13.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Artemis II is an ongoing United States spaceflight mission sending four astronauts on a flyby around the Moon. It launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026. The ten-day mission is crewed by …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_II
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Artemis III is planned to be the second crewed mission of the NASA-led Artemis lunar exploration program. The mission's objectives are to conduct tests in low Earth orbit with one or both commercially…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_III
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Artemis program is a Moon exploration program led by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), formally established in 2017 through Space Policy Directive 1. By 2028…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_program
verified
“Astronauts on that trip [...] reached a maximum 248,655 miles (400,171km) from Earth before making their turn.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The Apollo 13 Wikipedia entry explicitly states that the mission reached a maximum distance of 248,655 miles (400,171 km) from Earth.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Apollo 13 (April 11–17, 1970) was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program and would have been the third Moon landing. The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_13
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Apollo 9 (March 3–13, 1969) was the third human spaceflight in NASA's Apollo program, which successfully tested systems and procedures critical to landing on the Moon. The three-man crew consisted of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_9
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the United States human spaceflight program led by NASA, which landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969. Apollo was conceived during Project Me…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_program
verified
“Artemis’s crew should exceed Apollo 13’s mission by about 4,000 miles (6,437km).”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entries for Artemis II, Artemis III, and the Artemis program do not mention the specific 4,000-mile difference between Artemis II and Apollo 13.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Artemis II is an ongoing United States spaceflight mission sending four astronauts on a flyby around the Moon. It launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026. The ten-day mission is crewed by …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_II
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Artemis III is planned to be the second crewed mission of the NASA-led Artemis lunar exploration program. The mission's objectives are to conduct tests in low Earth orbit with one or both commercially…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_III
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Artemis program is a Moon exploration program led by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), formally established in 2017 through Space Policy Directive 1. By 2028…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_program
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“On what is the sixth day of a lunar mission [...] the Orion capsule’s roughly six-hour flyby on Monday promises views of the moon’s far side that were too dark or too difficult to see by the Apollo program astronauts.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to confirm the claim about Orion's flyby on day 6 and views of the far side.
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“Orion will be out of contact with mission control for 40 minutes when it’s behind the moon.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to confirm the 40-minute communication blackout claim.
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“During the flyby, the astronauts will take turns capturing the lunar views out their windows and will be able make out 'definite chunks of the far side that have never been seen' by humans.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to confirm the claim about capturing images of the moon's far side.
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“They will survey potential landing zones for future missions, including the mysterious Reiner Gamma formation [...] and photograph Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn at sunrise and sunset.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to confirm the claim about surveying Reiner Gamma or photographing planets.
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“Furthermore, they will attempt to recreate the Earthrise image, which was taken from lunar orbit by astronaut William Anders on 24 December 1968 during the Apollo 8 mission.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to confirm the claim about recreating the Earthrise image.
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“Nasa is aiming for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego on 10 April [...] nine days after its Florida launch.”
CORROBORATED
The cross-reference from Phys.org confirms the splashdown date of April 10, 2026, near San Diego, which aligns with the launch date of April 1, 2026, mentioned in the Wikipedia entry for Artemis II.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — It's homeward bound for Artemis II after the moon flyby... The capsule will aim for a splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego on April 10, nine days after its Florida launch.
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-artemis-ii-apollo-distance-moo…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.