For Artemis II astronauts, pull of moon’s gravity is now stronger than Earth’s

It’s official: The Artemis II astronauts have arrived in the moon’s cosmic neighborhood.

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The crew’s Orion capsule entered what’s known as the lunar sphere of influence at around 12:41 a.m. ET Monday, crossing into the region of space where the moon’s gravitational pull is stronger than the pull of Earth’s.

“That’s a significant milestone on our mission,” NASA flight director Rick Henfling said Sunday in a news briefing.

The lunar sphere of influence isn’t a physical or…