Local astronomer on far side of moon images; "Incredible"

Artemis II’s lunar flyby, which lasted seven hours Monday, is the highlight so far of the nearly 10-day test flight that will end with a splashdown in the Pacific on Friday.

"It was incredible," said Tim Collins of the Buffalo Astronomical Association. "We can't possibly imagine what the astronauts were feeling at that moment."

New images that are coming in are from the far side of the moon. The side we never see as humans.

There was a planned 40 minute communications blackout as the Orion spacecraft passed behind the moon.

"I don't think you could be human and not be uneasy about it," Collins said. "Anytime you lose communication it becomes a scary thing. They go through it all the time, even 50 or 60 years ago. Anytime the earth is blocked, you lose the signal."

The mission is also showing the close quarters for the four astronauts.

"It's slightly bigger than the Apollo capsules but it's accommodating one more person. You have the same space restrictions and they have to live that way for ten days. The Apollo missions were only six days. This is another test, a psychological test, because when we go to Mars, we're talking about months in space, not days," added Collins.