
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
Five EU states press for windfall taxes on fossil energy sector - 2
Holyvolt And Wildcat Could Help The West Reclaim Battery Leadership - 3
NASA releases stunning first images of Earth taken by the Artemis II astronauts - 4
6 Monetary Arranging Administrations for Your Necessities - 5
Vaccine committee votes to scrap universal hepatitis B shots for newborns despite outcry from children’s health experts
SpaceX launches Italian Earth-observing satellite to orbit on the 1st mission of 2026 (video)
Kremlin: Russian troops conquer Pokrovsk after year of intense combat
Barry Manilow to have surgery for early-stage lung cancer and postpones January concerts
The cheap health insurance promoted by Trump officials has this catch
Renewables cover over 50% of German electricity consumption in Q1
Italian police hold suspected boss of Naples Mafia's Mazzarella Clan
Wolf bites woman in a shopping area in Germany's 2nd-biggest city
The most effective method to Help a Friend or family member Determined to have Cellular breakdown in the lungs
Step by step instructions to Protect Your Speculations with Cd Rates













