
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
NASA probe captures stunning photos of Earth and moon on the way to infamous asteroid Apophis - 2
Hilary Duff's husband responds to Ashley Tisdale's 'toxic' mom group claims: The drama, explained - 3
The most effective method to Move toward Compensation Conversations for Cutting edge Practice Enrolled Attendants - 4
Russian strikes on Ukraine kill 5 people and wound 30 more - 5
Hundreds show fascist salute at rally in Rome in annual ritual
Exclusive new photos from 'Michael' biopic show Jaafar Jackson as King of Pop
Getting Your Youngsters' Future: Grasping Legacy Regulations
Top 20 Wellbeing and Wellness Applications for a Sound Way of life
No injuries after blast at pro-Israel centre in the Netherlands
Women take pride in Holy Week roles after a Spanish Catholic brotherhood's procession excluded them
Surging measles cases are 'fire alarm' warning that other diseases could be next
Surprise! Saturn's huge moon Titan may not have a buried ocean after all
Doctors thought he had cancer. An offhand suggestion led to a rare diagnosis.
NASA's Artemis 2 moon launch may be visible from Florida and southern Georgia today. Here's when to look












