
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
German inflation soars to 2.7% in March as Iran war drives up prices - 2
See as Your #1: These Low-Sugar Food sources You Ought to Attempt - 3
Manual for Big name Work out schedules - 4
California warns of death cap mushrooms outbreak resulting in 3 deaths - 5
Extraordinary Guinness World Records That Will Astound You
Israel launches new wave of attacks against Hezbollah in Beirut
Flight cancellations: Full list of 40 airports hit by FAA cuts amid government shutdown
PFAS in pregnant women’s drinking water puts their babies at higher risk, study finds
Novo Nordisk justifies reasoning behind failed GLP-1 Alzheimer's trials
Ghassan Al-Duhaini to replace Abu Shabab as Popular Forces leader in Gaza
Without evidence, CDC changes messaging on vaccines and autism
Accomplishing Balance between fun and serious activities: Procedures for a Better Life
Journey through Pages: A Survey of \Plunging into Scholarly Universes\
Lego's $650 Pokémon set is already sold out as demand, preorders surge












