
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
Choosing the Ideal Bed for Quality Rest and Solace - 2
Portugal among EU countries with the most people working close to 50 hours a week - 3
James Webb Space Telescope discovers a lemon-shaped exoplanet unlike anything seen before: 'What the heck is this?' - 4
Hezbollah field commander killed in IDF strikes in Beirut - 5
Experience Is standing by: History's Most noteworthy Travelers
Historic underwater structure discovered by divers off French coast
Blake Lively's sexual harassment claims against Justin Baldoni dismissed. Where the case stands now.
French ship crosses Strait of Hormuz in first Western European transit during Iran war
RFK Jr. releases new dietary guidelines with emphasis on protein, full-fat dairy
Extraordinary Guinness World Records That Will Astound You
Dinosaur collagen used to create one-of-a-kind handbag
This St Nick Truly Can Advise How To Drink And Hack Your Headache
The face is familiar, the name might not be. The king of "Hey, it's that guy!' roles is ready to show you his next act.
James Webb Space Telescope watches our Milky Way galaxy's monster black hole fire out a flare













