Orion Spacecraft Breaks Apollo 13 Record

On November 26, the US Space Agency reported that the Orion spacecraft launched as part of the Artemis I lunar expedition set a flight distance record that until recently belonged to Apollo 13. Orion was farther from Earth than any spacecraft designed to transport astronauts.

As part of the Apollo 13 flight, the leadership did not plan to set any records, but an explosion occurred in the middle of the mission, which forced NASA to change course to return people to Earth. As a result, the ship was at a distance of 400.171 kilometers from the Earth.

Due to the limited supply of oxygen in the lunar module, NASA had to prepare for the fastest possible return. As a result, it was decided to use the gravity of the moon to change the orbit and get on the way to the Earth.

Houston, we have a new record 🌎

On Saturday Nov. 26, at 8:40 a.m. ET, @NASA_Orion broke the record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth of a human-rated spacecraft. The record was previously held by Apollo 13 at 248,655 statute miles from Earth. Go Artemis! pic.twitter.com/B4hcXHJESC

— NASA's Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) November 26, 2022

As for the Orion, this time there are no people on board – only a test doll designed to test the safety of the crew. The ship has already circled the Moon and will soon enter Earth orbit. The splashdown is scheduled for December 11th.