As the four Artemis II astronauts closed in on the moon, they sent Easter greetings to Earth and staged their own cabin egg hunt.
Commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch presented “astronaut wings” to Canadian crewmate Jeremy Hansen, on his first spaceflight, before turning to scheduled tests of the new Artemis pressure suits. Koch relayed holiday wishes to flight controllers, noting the season’s emotional and cultural significance and describing a family tradition of hiding confetti eggs. In the spacecraft, the crew had hidden “dehydrated scrambled egg” versions around the cabin.
Overnight Saturday the crew shifted from tracking their increasing distance from Earth to monitoring their approach to the moon. At that time Orion was about 76,362 nautical miles from the moon and roughly 168,000 miles from Earth. The close-up views en route have revealed unexpected surface detail, a preview of observations they will make when flying over the lunar far side Monday.
Artemis II’s primary objectives are to fully test the Orion spacecraft and refine procedures for future crewed lunar missions. The crew also plans a full slate of science observations during the spacecraft’s pass behind the moon’s far side Monday afternoon and evening.
Looking at the moon, Koch told mission control that “the moon we are looking at is not the moon you see from Earth,” saying that even at some 75,000 miles out they could discern topography and subtle brightness differences. Glover was “absolutely mesmerized” by a vast basin whose features appeared to be actual terrain rather than mere albedo changes or shadows. He initially suspected Mare Orientale; mission control and the crew later agreed the basin was likely Mare Imbrium, the 710-mile–wide “Sea of Rain” surrounded by impact-formed mountains. Wiseman described the view—Tycho, Copernicus and other features—as three-dimensional and “absolutely unbelievable.” Mission control responded simply: “Moon joy.”
Before sleep, engineers notified the crew that Orion’s toilet had been restored to normal operation after earlier troubles ejecting stored urine. Mission control cleared all uses of the toilet; Koch responded, “And the crew rejoices!” Since launch the crew had occasionally been directed to use contingency collapsible urinals (CCUs), plastic urine collection devices each astronaut carries two of, which can be vented to space later.
The crew began Easter Sunday with a wakeup featuring CeeLo Green’s “Working Class Heroes” and a recorded message from Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke, who recalled landing in 1972 and praised the Artemis team for building on the Apollo legacy, offering prayers and well-wishes for safe travels home.
Sunday’s main onboard work focused on the crew’s bright orange pressure garments, designed to sustain an astronaut for more than six days if cabin pressurization is lost. Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen planned to don the suits inside the confined Orion cabin to time how long it takes to suit up in an emergency, pressurize the suits, practice entering and leaving their seats while suited, and evaluate mobility, eating and drinking from helmet-mounted dispensers. The suit drills also serve as a rehearsal for re-entry when astronauts will suit again before returning to Earth.
NASA reported that Artemis II officially entered the lunar sphere of influence at 12:38 a.m. EDT, meaning lunar gravity began to dominate over Earth’s. The mission will reach 248,655 miles from Earth at 1:56 p.m. Monday, surpassing the Apollo 13 record from 1970. The crew will pass behind the moon and lose contact with Earth for about 40 minutes beginning at 6:47 p.m. Monday. During the behind-the-moon phase they will come within roughly 4,070 miles of the lunar surface at close approach and, three minutes later, set a new distance record of about 252,760 miles from Earth, regaining contact at 7:27 p.m.
Even before and after the blackout, the astronauts expect to observe far-side features and may witness a solar eclipse as the moon occults the sun from their perspective. Kelsey Young of the Artemis lunar science team noted that while orbiting spacecraft provide excellent camera data, the human eye—especially when paired with trained observers—can make nuanced color and visual observations in an instant that have proven scientifically valuable in past missions.