
NASA has shared the first breathtaking views of Earth taken from the Artemis II mission as the crew continues its journey toward the moon.
The photos reveal Earth behind the Orion spacecraft, our home planet aglow with aurora.
One photo of Earth, taken Thursday by Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman from the Orion window, shows the planet backlit, with auroras visible at the top right and bottom left, Lakiesha Hawkins, deputy director for NASA’s Artemis program, said Friday during a news conference.
A zodiacal light is also visible at the bottom right as the Earth eclipses the sun, she said.
Another photo of Earth, also taken by Wiseman, shows a terminator line, meaning the line separating daylight and nighttime on the planet.
“What an amazing shot that he shared with us here,” she said.
The photos were taken after completing the translunar injection burn Thursday.
Hawkins said Friday, the third day of the Artemis II mission, that so far systems are normal and “the crew is in great spirit.”
The four crew members — NASA astronauts Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — launched Wednesday on the 10-day mission.
As of Friday, the crew is more than 100,000 miles from Earth, with about 150,000 miles to go to the moon.
The mission does not include a lunar landing, but is designed as a step toward a landing in 2028.
The next major milestone for the space pioneers will be Monday, when the crew is expected to fly around the moon.
That flyby could mark the farthest venture from Earth made by humans, surpassing the distance record of 248,655 miles set by the Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
latest_posts
- 1
See the first close-up photos of the moon from NASA's Artemis II mission - 2
Figure out How to Track and Anticipate Future Cd Rates - 3
From Dread to Certainty: Individual Accounts of Strengthening - 4
Which European countries have mandatory or voluntary military service - 5
IDF finds weapon of slain hostage Capt. Daniel Perez in booby-trapped Gaza compound
Takeda's AI-crafted psoriasis pill succeeds in late-stage studies
Clocks to go forward one hour in Europe as summer time starts
Farmers worry about rising cost of fertiliser
6 Novice Cameras for 2024: Ideal for New Picture takers
A soft launch, an unfollow and a lot of questions: Breaking down the 'Summer House' romance blowing up group chats
Opening Your True capacity: 12 Techniques for Personal growth
75% of Arab Israelis support Arab party joining government coalition post-war, survey reveals
Vote In favor of Your Favored Cereal
Figure out how to Team up with Your Auto Crash Legal advisor for Best Outcomes













