A test flight by four astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II around the moon made history on April 6. NASA’s Artemis II test flight — the first crewed lunar flyby in 50-plus years — broke a record for human spaceflight’s farthest distance, previously set by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970.
At its farthest point, NASA said the crew inside the Orion spacecraft will have traveled about 252,756 miles, before looping back toward our home planet.
During the lunar flyby, a fleet of cameras captured pictures of the moon, including features humans have never directly seen. The astronauts used a variety of digital handheld cameras to conduct high-resolution photography of the lunar surface.
For two astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, the many years of training and preparation leading up to the momentous occasion included time spent below the surface off the Florida Keys.
Florida International University’s underwater research laboratory, Aquarius, serves not only as an important tool for ocean research, but it also provides training grounds for astronauts to simulate isolation, confinement and operational struggles of spaceflight. Located off Tavernier and sitting 60 feet underwater at Conch Reef, Aquarius allows crews to live and work underwater for days.
Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman and Canadian mission specialist Jeremy Hansen had the opportunity to train and live underwater at Aquarius; Wiseman was there in 2016 and Hansen in 2014.
For FIU Aquarius operations director Hank Stark, working with astronauts is both routine and remarkable. Stark has spent years helping astronauts acclimate to life in extreme environments. The experience goes beyond technical training.
“It’s exciting. It’s always a unique opportunity to work with NASA and always interesting,” he said in an FIU article. “Going to space is something I think everyone dreams about at some point in their life.
“Training at Aquarius and saturating with these astronauts lets us get to know them on a personal level,” Stark said. “We’re living together underwater for a week or more.”
That was the case for Stark and Wiseman in 2016.
“You spend a lot of time working together in the days leading up to a mission and then the guy is sleeping right above you for the next eight days or so,” Stark said.
NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft’s main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the moon on April 4. Wiseman spent time training at Aquarius Reef Base off Key Largo. NASA/Contributed 
The edge of the visible surface of the moon is called the “lunar limb.” Seen from afar, it almost looks like a circular arc – except when backlit, as in other images captured by the Artemis II crew. NASA/Contributed 
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft carrying Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen lifts off on April 1. JIM ROSS/NASA 
Artemis II crew members, from left, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman at an integrated ground systems test at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 20, 2023. NASA/Kim Shiflett 
Aquarius was submerged by NOAA in 1993. It provides access to study coral reefs and marine life, while also offering opportunities to test state-of-the-art equipment and train special divers and astronauts. FILE PHOTO
Aquarius was submerged by NOAA in 1993. It provides unparalleled access to study coral reefs and marine life, while also offering opportunities to test state-of-the-art equipment and train special divers and astronauts. The habitat is a 43- by 20- by 16.5-foot diameter steel cylinder that’s divided into three compartments. There’s a wet porch, the main point of entry and two pressure locks known as the entry and main lock, which are 500 and 1,400 cubic feet respectively.
In June 2019, Aquarius served as the home to a four-woman crew who were on a 10-day NASA mission simulating space exploration, with a focus on objectives related to the International Space Station, the moon and Mars.
FIU announced a partnership last October with the technology startup Tekmara to construct and operate a new underwater research laboratory using AI-powered monitoring systems. The systems are designed to autonomously detect anomalies like pollution sources or oxygen depletion, learn from the ocean environment and provide real-time solutions. They will largely be powered by renewable energy sources, including solar and marine renewable energy.
The crew is scheduled to complete its 10-day mission and splash down off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, April 10.
Under the Artemis program, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly challenging missions to explore more of the moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits and to build on its foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.
“Their dedication is about more than breaking records – it’s fueling our hope for a bold future. Their mission is carrying our promise to return to the Moon’s surface, this time to stay as we establish a moon base,” said Lori Glaze, an administrator at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
