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Artemis II flies by moon in first, historic look at the lunar dark side
NY Post ^ | 4/06/26 | Alex Oliveira

Posted on 04/06/2026 4:30:24 PM PDT by Libloather

Artemis II began its historic flyby of the moon Monday in what is the mission’s showstopper event — giving its crew and Earthlings back home their first glimpses ever of parts of the lunar dark side.

The capsule began the flyby around 2:45 p.m. ET, and will spend just over six hours arcing around the moon with its windows pointed toward the far side of the lunar surface.

All four crew members will become the first people in history to see certain swaths of the far side — since most it remained in shadow when the Apollo missions orbited the moon over 50 years ago.

The Apollo flights were also so close to the surface that their range of sight was limited.

But Artemis II’s flyby is different — the capsule will stay between 4,000 and 6,000 miles from the lunar surface, which will allow the crew to see the entirety of the far side under the full light of the sun.

The moon will appear about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length to the crew looking out the Orion capsule’s windows.

It was also about three to four times larger than Earth as the flyby began, the crew reported.

Artemis II’s astronauts will spend the flyby photographing and making in-person observations of the far side as part of their research.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Local News; Outdoors; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: alexoliveira; artemis; artemis2; artemisii; historic; lunar; moon; newyorkpost; orion; tds; tdstrolls
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Comment #61 Removed by Moderator

To: Republican Wildcat

😃


62 posted on 04/06/2026 8:45:04 PM PDT by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all. )
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To: bigbob

At least it wasn’t a Polaroid.


63 posted on 04/06/2026 8:46:23 PM PDT by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all. )
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To: xp38

If that’s true, the moon should appear much smaller in the sky.


64 posted on 04/06/2026 9:09:41 PM PDT by Disambiguator
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To: Disambiguator

Much smaller than what?


65 posted on 04/06/2026 9:43:59 PM PDT by enumerated (81 million votes my ass)
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To: NewHampshireDuo

“The moon” (per Pink Floyd) was a reference to Syd Barret’s “lunacy”.


66 posted on 04/06/2026 11:32:43 PM PDT by Paul R. (Old Viking saying: "Never be more than 3 steps away from your weapon ... or a Uriah Heep song!" ;-))
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To: bigbob

Don’t take my Kodachrome away.😁


67 posted on 04/07/2026 12:41:26 AM PDT by BiteYourSelf ( Earth first, we'll strip mine the other planets later.)
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To: Bob Wills is still the king
Didn’t the “Aliens” guy say there were vast fleets of UFO’s on the “dark side” of the Moon?>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Yes, its hugh and series.

Allegedly from NASA's secret Syn 25 mission back in the day.

The same people say that there will be no live , candid,uncensored photos available from NASA of the far side of the moon because THEY do not want us to know.



Images were taken during the Syn 25 mission, which had been hidden from the world for decades. The photo below is one of the most striking, which was taken during the mission. In this, we can clearly see structures resembling cities. But they are not terrestrial cities; they are cities on the Moon. According to experts who have accessed these images, these cities on the Moon are well over 500,000 years old. The question on everybody's mind is this: how is this possible? What ancient civilization could have built these structures on the Moon?

68 posted on 04/07/2026 2:44:16 AM PDT by Candor7 ( Ask not for whom the Trump Trolls,He trolls for thee!<img src="" width=300</img><a href="">tag</a>))
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To: ClearCase_guy

“There is no dark side of the moon, really... its all dark”...Pink Floyd


69 posted on 04/07/2026 3:43:11 AM PDT by Adder (End fascism...defeat all Democrats.)
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To: Bob Wills is still the king
Didn’t the “Aliens” guy say there were vast fleets of UFO’s on the “dark side” of the Moon?

That’s the real reason that the Artemis had to stay 6,000 miles away. So they couldn’t see the parked UFOs and alien bases.

70 posted on 04/07/2026 3:58:18 AM PDT by Sirius Lee ("Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.)
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To: Libloather

What a stupid declaration of “first!”

It isn’t the first.


71 posted on 04/07/2026 4:02:48 AM PDT by CodeToad
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To: laconic

*John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band singing “On the Dark Side”*

Oh how I hated that song! Sounded just like Springsteen.


72 posted on 04/07/2026 4:21:22 AM PDT by sgt_lau (Islamophobic? No. I reject a 7th century death-cult that demands non-believers like me, dead.)
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To: ClearCase_guy

The moon does not have a “dark side”. It has a “far side”. The entire moon experiences full sunlight during its 28 day orbit around the Earth.


73 posted on 04/07/2026 4:22:24 AM PDT by GingisK
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To: Windcatcher
why is LOS even a thing in 2026? We have multiple birds orbiting ***Mars*** acting as comm relays but we never put any around the Moon? What is wrong with us?

Hadn't really planned to go back to the moon until recently.

74 posted on 04/07/2026 4:26:22 AM PDT by GingisK
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To: poinq
Most of the Apollo flights went around the moon.

All Apollo flight went around the moon. ALL.

75 posted on 04/07/2026 4:27:32 AM PDT by GingisK
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To: GingisK

As I recall watching Apollo 1. I am pretty sure it never made it to the moon.


76 posted on 04/07/2026 4:36:56 AM PDT by poinq
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To: GingisK

Apollo 7 was the first crewed Apollo mission to go into space. But it stayed in earth orbit to test the Apollo Command and Service modules.

Apollo 8 orbited the moon sans the Lunar Module.

Apollo 9 carried a Lunar Module…but stayed in earth orbit to test it.

…Just to clarify.


77 posted on 04/07/2026 5:35:40 AM PDT by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
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To: enumerated

Than it actually does.


78 posted on 04/07/2026 6:12:08 AM PDT by Disambiguator
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Comment #79 Removed by Moderator

To: poinq
I am pretty sure it never made it to the moon

You are mistaken. Apollo did land on the moon more than once. The only people who believe it didn't are always those who don't know any physics and are suckers for smooth talkers.

If they didn't land, how did several other nations' lunar orbiters photograph the landing sites?

80 posted on 04/07/2026 7:31:42 AM PDT by GingisK
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