The Artemis II crew prepares for their historic lunar flyby, conducting manual piloting demonstrations and science reviews while taking in spectacular Earth views from Orion's windows. NASA released breathtaking images of the astronauts gazing at our planet during their journey to the Moon, which began with Orion reaching lunar vicinity shortly after midnight on April 6.

This mission marks humanity's farthest journey from Earth, surpassing the 248,655-mile record set by Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970. The lunar observation period begins at 2:45 PM ET, with Orion's closest approach to the Moon occurring at 7:02 PM when the spacecraft will be 4,066 miles from the lunar surface.

From this distance, the crew will witness the entire disk of the Moon, including polar regions, before experiencing a remarkable solar eclipse as Orion, the Moon, and Sun align for approximately one hour. NASA will provide live coverage of the flyby starting at 1 PM ET.