
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
Hamas set to elect new terror leader with Hayya, Mashaal in pole position - 2
Wonderful Sea shores All over the Planet - 3
What we know about the Brown University shooting suspect who was found dead, and how police linked him to the MIT killing - 4
New method spots signs of Earth's primordial life in ancient rocks - 5
Manual for Tracking down Spending plan Agreeable Travel Objections
Avoid Slam: Exploring the Pickup Truck Transformation
British-Egyptian dissident apologises for tweets as Tories push for UK deportation
5 Superstar Couples That Motivate Relationship Objectives
'The Real Housewives of Rhode Island' 1st teaser trailer unveiled: Which Bachelor Nation star is part of the cast? And when does it premiere?
The risk of falling space junk hitting airplanes is on the rise, experts warn
French and Malaysian authorities are investigating Grok for generating sexualized deepfakes
‘Inoculation’ helps people spot political deepfakes, study finds
Energy agency chief warns of 'black April' for oil supplies
The most effective method to Help a Friend or family member Determined to have Cellular breakdown in the lungs












