
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
10 Delectable Specialty Mixed drinks - 2
Find Exemplary Scents: An Extensive Aide - 3
Sintana Energy flags major resource upgrade at Namibia oil discovery - 4
Analysis-NASA's moon mission tests aerospace old guard as SpaceX, Blue Origin hover - 5
Trouvez La Carte De Cr\u00e9dit Id\u00e9ale Pour Vos Besoins En Belgique
Exploring the Mind boggling Universe of Connections: Individual Bits of knowledge
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.
Kendall Jenner addresses long-standing rumor about her sexuality
'Set up an Army Radio station at President’s Residence': Source close to Katz slams Herzog
SUVs Known for Their Looks As opposed to Their Capacity
Merck urges science-led US vaccine schedule after CDC trims childhood vaccine list
The most effective method to Recuperate After a Dental Embed Strategy: A Far reaching Guide
Moldova says Russian drones violated airspace
Health Rounds: Regeneron drug wipes out residual multiple myeloma cells in small trial












