The crew of Artemis II is heading towards the moon today, and they're about to break the record for the furthest distance traveled by astronauts.
They will be breaking the record set by the Apollo 13 crew, who inadvertently set that record in 1970 when their mission — originally slated to land on the moon — experienced an explosion and the crew was forced to use the moon's gravity to slingshot them, and their crippled vessel, back to Earth.
NASA, blessedly, had the foresight to have Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell record a message for the Artemis II crew. Lovell, who was also the pilot for the Apollo 8 mission, passed away last August at the age of 97. He was preceded in death by fellow Apollo 8 Astronauts Frank Borman and Bill Anders. They were the first to orbit the moon in December 1968, about seven months before the first moon landing.
"Welcome to my old neighborhood." Our @NASAArtemis II astronauts woke up on the sixth day of their mission to a special message recorded in 2025 by astronaut Jim Lovell, the pilot of Apollo 8. pic.twitter.com/XA4Dc2yQm5
— NASA (@NASA) April 6, 2026
"Hello, Artemis II," Lovell says. "This is Apollo Astronaut Jim Lovell. Welcome to my old neighborhood. When Frank Borman, Bill Anders, and I orbited the moon on Apollo 8, we got humanity's first up-close look at the moon and got a view of the home planet that inspired and united people around the world."
"I'm proud to pass that torch on to you, as you swing around the moon and lay the groundwork for missions to Mars, for the benefit of all," Lovell continued. "It's a historic day, and I know how busy you'll be but don't forget to enjoy the view. So, Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy and all the great team supporting you: good luck and Godspeed from all those here on the good Earth."
What an incredible message.
It's hard not to get emotional listening to this. 🥹
— NASA History Office (@NASAhistory) April 6, 2026
Yes, it is.
An inspiring message from a legend. https://t.co/htCWTt8KU1
— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) April 6, 2026
Lovell was a legend. It's sad the Apollo 8 crew did not live to see us return to the moon.
Thank you @NASA for the forethought to have this recorded before Jim Lovell’s passing last August, Frank Borman and Bill Anders having predeceased him.
— Allan 🇺🇸🇮🇱🇺🇦🇬🇱 (@UnrealAllan) April 6, 2026
🥲😢 Bittersweet that none of the Apollo 8 crew lived to see the next generation of lunar explorers. #NASA #ArtemisII https://t.co/CADyiBA565
At around 1 pm Eastern, Artemis two will get its first glimpses of parts of the moon, parts never seen by human eyes.
Tired: Monday
— NASA (@NASA) April 6, 2026
Wired: Moonday
Today our Artemis II astronauts fly around the Moon! Tune in, starting at 1pm ET (1700 UTC) as they view parts of the Moon never seen by human eyes.
Watch it live with us: https://t.co/fAg0bGAqEc pic.twitter.com/OMG3uNrHAk
And earlier, one of the crew, Astronaut Reid Wiseman, posted on X how grateful he is for this experience.
All I feel is gratitude for this experience. https://t.co/47epB947bF
— Reid Wiseman (@astro_reid) April 6, 2026
It's incredible to witness this history being made in real time.