Flight Day 4 aboard Orion is being remembered for a pretty simple feeling: deep space, actually, with no nearby anchor point to hide behind.
Misryoum newsroom reported that on the mission around the moon and back to Earth, the crew of Orion spacecraft became the first astronauts in more than 50 years to report flying in deep space. They were also scheduled to see the moon’s gravitational influence tighten as Artemis II approached, with the plan pointing to Easter Sunday. In the cramped rhythm of spaceflight, that kind of timing matters—like, you feel it in the schedule even if you don’t see it.
NASA astronaut Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen performed a manual test, a hands-on check meant to ensure they could fly the spacecraft manually if they had to. The day’s note-taker energy was also elsewhere in the history of the program: the crew of Apollo 8, on its Christmas 1968 moon mission, read the first 10 verses of the Book of Genesis to global viewers. And back then, Victor Glover—who has been open about his own faith—was asked during a press conference if he had any statement prepared. His answer came out as something like a personal look, not a polished script.
“As we are so far from Earth and looking at, you know, the beauty of creation, I think that for me, one of the really important personal perspectives that I have up here, is I can really see Earth as one thing,” he said. He added that as they head toward Easter Sunday, it could be a shared moment for cultures worldwide—“whether you celebrate it or not, whether you believe in God or not,”—framing it as a reminder of where people are, who they are, and how they’re connected.
On Orion’s current loop, the crew’s own “shared” moment wasn’t only spiritual. Misryoum editorial team stated the Artemis II’s crew were also the first humans to report seeing the Orentale Basin on the moon’s far side. That’s the kind of observation that sounds almost too clean until you remember the distance: despite being tens of thousands of miles away, human eyes were able to see the entire impact zone, and NASA shared a picture of their perspective—at least, that’s how Misryoum reporting described it. Somewhere between the image and the explanation, you can almost imagine the cabin quiet, the tiny whir of fans, and the dry, recycled air smell as someone leans in close to the view.
The day didn’t end with looking, either. Misryoum editorial desk noted that the crew continues to send high-resolution photography and other data back to Earth via Artemis II’s Optical Communications System, which utilizes laser communication for transmission. It’s fast in the way radio isn’t—laser links trade on alignment and clarity, and you can’t really “wing it.” Though, honestly, the details get abstract quickly once you’re staring at your own checklist, and then you catch yourself—wait, the whole point is that these images and datasets keep moving, still moving, even as the calendar turns toward Easter Sunday.
