
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
Exploring Being a parent: A Survey of \Bits of knowledge and Guidance for Guardians\ Nurturing Book - 2
The 1st full moon of 2026 rises tonight! Here's what to expect from January's supermoon Wolf Moon - 3
The Best 15 Applications for Efficiency and Association - 4
'Zootopia 2' movie reviews: A heartwarming, hysterical and earnest 'ode to community' - 5
Artemis 2 moon astronauts will try to recreate Apollo 8's historic 'Earthrise' photo during April 6 flyby
Elanco's drug gets emergency nod to treat deadly flesh-eating parasite in cats
Bayer sues COVID vaccine makers over mRNA technology
Syrian army says recent drone attacks targeted its bases near Iraq, most shot down
Why are NASA's Artemis astronauts wearing orange? What are they bringing to space? What to know about the preparation for their moon mission.
The Best Games On the planet
'Hero' who wrestled gun from Bondi shooter named as Ahmed al Ahmed
The 20 Most sultry Style of the Time
He made a name for himself posting thirst traps on TikTok. Now he's the star of a wildly popular rom-com.
Ukraine apologizes to Finland for crashed drones












