Claim: Did Artemis II astronauts travel farther from Earth than any crew since 1970?

First requested: April 8, 2026 at 6:05 AM
88%

IsItCap Score

Truth Potential Meter

Very Credible

AI consensusWeak

Grader consensus is weak.
Range 50%–100% (spread Δ50).
The graders diverge. Treat the combined score as uncertain and read the sources carefully.
Read analysis summary

OpenAI Grade

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Perplexity Grade

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Google Gemini Grade

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Analysis Summary

The claim that Artemis II astronauts traveled farther from Earth than any crew since 1970 is true. Mainstream outlets like Scientific American and The New York Times confirm that the Artemis II mission set a new distance record of 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing the previous record set by Apollo 13. Some sources dispute the claim by emphasizing that the Apollo 13 mission also reached a significant distance, but they do not contest the new record established by Artemis II astronauts. The models diverge sharply — treat this as higher-uncertainty. Perplexity comes in highest (100%), while Gemini is lowest (50%). OpenAI expresses higher confidence than Gemini on this claim. While the evidence strongly supports the claim that Artemis II astronauts traveled farther than any crew since 1970, some sources highlight that Apollo 13 reached a distance of 248,655 miles. However, this does not negate the fact that Artemis II exceeded this distance, reaching 252,756 miles. The distinction lies in the fact that Artemis II's record is a new benchmark, and the previous record does not diminish the achievement of the current mission.
Jump to source analysis

Source quality

Truth (from sources)9.00 / 10
Source reliability8.00 / 10
Source independence7.00 / 10

Claim checks

Fits established facts9.00 / 10
Logical consistency9.00 / 10
Expert consensus9.00 / 10

Source Analysis

Common arguments (from Perplexity)
For
  • Artemis II exceeded Apollo 13's 248,655 miles, reaching 252,756 miles per Guardian.
  • Scientific American confirms crew surpassed 248,655 miles record from 1970.
  • NYT reports record set at 1:56 p.m. ET on Monday during flyby.
Against
  • All sources affirm the record was broken; no counterexamples found.
  • Live Science restates Apollo distance but supports Artemis exceeding it.
  • Space.com and CBS explicitly state Artemis II broke the post-1970 record.

Mainstream Sources

Publication

scientificamerican.com

Title

NASA’s Artemis II astronauts are officially farther from Earth than any human has gone before

Summary

At 1:57 P.M. EDT on Monday, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen exceeded the distance of <strong>248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) from Earth</strong>, the previous record set in ...

Source details

Type: Major Media
Published: 2026-04-08

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Publication

nytimes.com

Title

Artemis II Astronauts Set New Distance Record in Moon Flyby: What to Know - The New York Times

Summary

<strong>The astronauts have set the record of humans to fly the farthest from Earth, a distance of 248,655 miles</strong>, set by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. That occurred at 1:56 p.m. Eastern time on Monday.

Source details

Type: Major Media
Published: 2026-04-06

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Publication

theguardian.com

Title

Artemis II swings back around after completing record-setting moon flyby | Artemis II | The Guardian

Summary

About five hours later, at 7.02pm ET, the crew reached the furthest point in its mission, before swinging back around, at <strong>252,756 miles</strong> from Earth – 4,111 miles farther than the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission in 1970.

Source details

Type: Major Media
Published: 2026-04-06

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Alternative Sources

Publication

livescience.com

Title

The Artemis II astronauts have just flown farther from Earth than any humans in history | Live Science

Summary

At that time, over 55 years ago, [Jim] Lovell, [Jack] Swigert and [Fred] Hayes flew <strong>248,655 statute miles away from Earth</strong>,&quot; Jenni Gibbons, a Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut and capsule communicator (Capcom) on the Artemis II mission, said ...

Source details

Type: Major Media

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Publication

space.com

Title

Artemis 2 breaks humanity's all-time distance record during historic loop around the moon (video) | Space

Summary

<strong>NASA&#x27;s Artemis 2 astronauts have now traveled farther from Earth than any people in history</strong>, breaking the mark set by the Apollo 13 crew in April 1970.

Source details

Type: Major Media

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URL

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Publication

cbsnews.com

Title

Artemis II crew completes record-breaking trip around the moon and sees "unreal" solar eclipse

Summary

<strong>The Artemis II crew has broken the record for the farthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth</strong>. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, made history ...

Source details

Type: Major Media

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URL

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Analysis Breakdown

True/False Spectrum (9.0)Source Credibility (8.0)Bias Assessment (7.0)Contextual Integrity (9.0)Content Coherence (9.0)Expert Consensus (9.0)85%

Understanding the Grades

Metrics

  • Verifiability: Evidence strength
  • Source Quality: Credibility assessment
  • Bias: Objectivity measure
  • Context: Completeness check

Scale

  • 8-10: Excellent
  • 6-7: Good
  • 4-5: Fair
  • 1-3: Poor

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