The farthest a human has traveled in space is approximately 248,655 miles from Earth. This record was set during a mission to the Moon.
Reaching the Farthest Point
Humans achieved this incredible distance during the Apollo 13 mission in April 1970. Although the mission is famous for its critical onboard accident, the three astronauts aboard – James Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise – continued their journey around the Moon as part of their emergency return trajectory back to Earth.
Key Details of the Journey
According to the provided reference, the record distance was reached:
- When: During their maneuver coming back to Earth.
- Where: To the far side of the Moon.
- Distance: Approximately 248,655 miles (around 400,171 kilometers) from Earth.
This specific point in their trajectory, passing behind the far side of the Moon, put them at their greatest distance from their home planet, setting the record for the farthest human journey into space.
Why So Far?
Lunar missions, by their nature, travel much farther from Earth than missions to low Earth orbit (like the International Space Station, which is only a few hundred miles up). While several Apollo missions landed on the Moon, the trajectory required to swing around the Moon and return to Earth naturally takes the spacecraft farther out at its peak distance from Earth than even being on the lunar surface directly below Earth would. The unique circumstances of Apollo 13's free-return trajectory put them slightly farther out than previous missions.
This historic event remains the benchmark for human deep-space travel to date.
