Four astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission have transmitted breathtaking photographs of our planet as they journey toward the moon on humanity’s first crewed lunar voyage in more than five decades.
Mission control received the crew’s initial images on Friday, approximately 36 hours after their departure from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The photographs showcase Earth’s stunning appearance from deep space.
Mission commander Reid Wiseman captured the first image, displaying Earth’s curved edge visible through one of their spacecraft’s windows. A second photograph reveals the complete planet, featuring ocean surfaces decorated with spiraling white cloud formations.
By Friday mid-morning, Wiseman and his three fellow crew members had traveled 90,000 miles (145,000 kilometers) from Earth and were rapidly approaching the moon with an additional 168,000 miles (270,000 kilometers) remaining in their journey. The team expects to reach lunar vicinity on Monday.
The international crew, consisting of three American astronauts and one Canadian, will orbit around the moon aboard their Orion spacecraft before reversing course and returning directly to Earth without landing. On Thursday evening, they successfully fired Orion’s primary engine to establish their lunar trajectory.
This mission marks the first time humans have ventured toward the moon since the Apollo 17 expedition concluded in 1972.
