Artemis II astronauts travel farther from Earth than any humans in history, breaking Apollo 13 record set more than 50 years ago

Alex Oliveira / NEW YORK POST  

Humanity on Monday traveled the farthest ever into space, breaking the record set more than 50 years ago by Apollo 13.

Artemis II’s four astronauts zoomed past Apollo 13’s 248,655-mile mark around 1:56 p.m. ET, reaching 248,656 miles as it hurtled past the moon at nearly 2,000 mph.

The extraordinary new record occurred nearly 56 years ago to the day that Apollo 13 set it on April 14, 1970, as the troubled spacecraft used the moon’s gravity to slingshot itself back to Earth without using any of its waning power after suffering an onboard explosion.

But Artemis II isn’t done yet.

The astronauts are flying farther than any humans in history moment by moment until about 7:07 p.m., when they are expected to begin their journey back to Earth.

Their new distance record is expected to end up at about 252,757 miles.

Artemis II’s Orion capsule will be making its way to Earth from there, returning home around 8 p.m. Friday. Read more, see photos, and diagrams here.