
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
Understanding Various Sorts of Financial balances: An Extensive Outline - 2
Step by step instructions to Buy a Jeep Wrangler on a Senior's Spending plan - 3
Moon memorial: Artemis 2 astronauts name lunar 'bright spot' after mission commander's late wife - 4
Phonetic Associations: A Survey of \Interfacing Worldwide People group\ Language Trade Application - 5
The Drone Video of the Year is stunning – you've not seen Namibia like this
Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) breaks apart in incredible telescope photos
To fix a patient's irregular heartbeat, doctors first tested its digital 'twin'
Eight arrested in joint Scotland and Spain gang raids
Tata Motors, BMW among automakers set to raise prices in India
Inside Plan with Houseplants: An Aide
Artemis II live updates: NASA's moon mission breaks Apollo record for farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth
'Euphoria' Season 3 trailer includes Eric Dane's final appearance, Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney at the altar and Rue's 'Breaking Bad' era
France bans Muslim gathering citing risk to participants
Weight-loss pill approval set to accelerate food industry product overhauls













