
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
Hitler's madcap mega-railway would have linked Berlin with India - 2
Reports: Nepal's former PM arrested over deadly protest crackdown - 3
Vote In favor of Your Favored Language Learning Applications - 4
Figure out How to Function Successfully with Your Auto Collision Legal advisor for the Best Result - 5
Instructions to Shield Your Gold Speculation from Possible Dangers: Fundamental Protections
Tech giants accused of not complying with Australian social media ban
'Senseless violence' erupts at Christmas tree lighting; 4 injured
Hanwha Ocean secures orders worth $866m for five vessels
Vote In favor of Your Favored Keeping an eye on
Americans generally like wolves − except when we’re reminded of our politics
Space station changes command, setting stage for Crew 11 departure
Elanco's drug gets emergency nod to treat deadly flesh-eating parasite in cats
Uzbekistan launches €9.46 billion green energy push, covering nation’s power needs
Lahav 433 head Asst.-Ch. Meni Benjamin named as police officer investigated for breach of trust













