Artemis II: Crew captures stunning Earth shot en route to Moon
Artemis II: Crew captures stunning Earth shot en route to Moon
Artemis II crew aboard Orion release high-res Earth images, including Hello, World, after a key burn as they head toward the Moon.
NASA released the first high-resolution Earth images captured by the Artemis II crew aboard the Orion capsule as they head toward the Moon. Commander Reid Wiseman snapped two striking shots, including Hello, World, showing the blue expanse of the Atlantic Ocean framed by a thin glow of the atmosphere, with Venus visible in the bottom right. The image portrays Earth as seen from behind the spacecraft, with the western Sahara and Iberian Peninsula on one edge and the eastern portion of South America on the other.
Another widely shared image, Artemis II Looking Back at Earth, comes from one of Orion's four main windows as Wiseman and the crew completed a trans lunar injection burn that placed Orion on a looping path more than 200,000 miles from Earth.
Artemis II is now on a path that will carry the crew around the far side of the Moon and back. It is the first time since 1972 that humans have traveled outside of Earth orbit. The crew is expected to pass around the far side of the Moon on April 6 and return to Earth on April 10.
Mission control in Houston noted that the crew was glued to the windows and taking pictures as they enjoyed the dramatic view of the dark side of Earth lit by the Moon. The images underscore the human scale of the mission as NASA tests deep space systems and operations ahead of future lunar landings.
Along with advancing exploration, Artemis II demonstrates international cooperation in space, building toward longer stays on the Moon and eventual missions farther into the solar system.
