Eight photos from the Artemis II mission

NASA's Artemis II mission sent four astronauts - three Americans and one Canadian - on the first lunar flyby in more than 50 years. 

The successful journey of Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen and Reid Weisman around the Moon was rich in firsts, records and extraordinary moments.

Here are eight photos and a rundown of the trip's top takeaways:

1. A record distance

The Artemis II journey was the first crewed mission of NASA's program aiming to install a sustained presence on the Moon, including the eventual construction of a base.

It also broke a record: the four astronauts become the humans to travel furthest away from the Earth, at 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometres).

- Orion snapped this high-resolution selfie in space with a camera mounted on one of its solar array wings during a routine external inspection of the spacecraft on the second day into the Artemis II mission. Photo: NASA

The team broke the record set by the 1970 Apollo 13 mission, which they surpassed by more than 4,000 miles (more than 6,400 kilometres).

Reflecting on the achievement, astronaut Hansen said the moment should "challenge this generation and the next, to make sure this record is not long-lived."

2. Unprecedented diversity

The first woman (Koch), the first person of colour (Glover) and the first non-American (Hansen) were members of the crew on the historic voyage around the Moon.

Until now, only white American men had been selected for these missions, which occurred during NASA's Apollo program of the 1960s and 70s.

The Artemis II crew – (from left) Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Pilot Victor Glover, and Commander Reid Wiseman. Photo: AFP

More than half a century later, the astronaut corps is far more diverse -- but the question of representation remains thorny, especially as the Trump administration has dismantled diversity and inclusion policies for federal agencies.

Since the Republican's return to power and subsequent executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion terminology, NASA has scrubbed from its website a public commitment to send the first woman and first person of colour to the lunar surface in future missions.

3. Remarkable imagery, including 'Earthset'

The four astronauts took thousands of photographs throughout their journey, amassing a stunning portfolio of images from deep space.

One has already become famous, a remarkable shot being called "Earthset."

The photo paired the delicate, watery planet Earth with the harsh, huge curve of the Moon, separated by black space -- and recalled 1968's iconic "Earthrise" image.

The Artemis II crew captures a faint view of a crescent Earth above the horizon on the Moon’s far side. Photo: NASA

4. Solar eclipse and meteorite strikes

Witnessing a solar eclipse from space was a spectacle worthy of science fiction, as pilot Glover put it.

"Humans probably have not evolved to see what we're seeing," he said. "It is truly hard to describe. It is amazing."

The Moon fully eclipsing the Sun. From the crew’s perspective, the Moon appears large enough to completely block the Sun, creating nearly 54 minutes of totality and extending the view far beyond what is possible from Earth. Photo: NASA

The Moon appeared to them as a black orb surrounded by a halo of light, all set against the backdrop of the vast darkness of space.

During this celestial event the crew also saw flashes of light -- meteorite strikes on the lunar surface.

Reports of the sightings had scientists on Earth awestruck.

They also noted the need to better understand this phenomenon to mitigate risks to future astronauts who might be exposed on the lunar surface.

5. Far side of the Moon

The astronauts flew behind the Moon's far side at an unprecedented altitude of some 4,000 miles, allowing for humans to see with their own eyes lunar regions that previously only robots had captured.

Their Apollo predecessors had flown less than 100 miles over the celestial body, which gave a far different vantage point.

NASA’s Orion spacecraft captures the Moon and the Earth in one frame during the Artemis II crew’s deep space journey. Photo: NASA

6. Space risks 

While the Artemis II astronauts have been protected from the icy vacuum of space on their journey, their bodies have nonetheless been left exposed to possibly high levels of radiation.

The US space agency installed radiation sensors on the Orion capsule and took blood samples of the astronauts before takeoff to compare with samples post-trip. The crew's saliva samples are gathered throughout the journey and their health is monitored via smartwatches.

NASA has also placed state-of-the-art computer chips in the capsule that can replicate certain physiological functions, like that of an organ.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch is illuminated by a screen as CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen looks out a window on the third day of the Artemis II mission. Photo: NASA

Mission planners chose to mimic bone marrow, which produces blood cells and is one of the tissues "most quickly affected by radiation and other stressors," NASA Human Research Program chief scientist Steven Platts told AFP.

With all of the data, Platts said his team hoped to better understand the variation between low earth orbit and deep space.

7. Space Race 2.0 

The Artemis II mission opened a new chapter in space exploration.

As the first crewed flight for the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, it paved the way for a US return to the lunar surface -- this time with the ambition of establishing a sustained human presence there and laying the groundwork for future missions to Mars.

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, secured to the mobile launcher, is seen as it rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo: NASA

NASA is making these efforts as China works to send humans to the Moon by 2030.

Thus far Washington has relied on international partners in its lunar efforts -- including from Europe, Canada and Japan -- though US President Donald Trump's return to the White House has cast doubt on the program's collaborations in the future.