As the Artemis II crew journeys toward the moon, they've been capturing spectacular views of Earth from deep space. Commander Reid Wiseman took several jaw-dropping photos shortly after a rocket firing boosted them out of Earth orbit, including images showing northern Africa and Brazil's green coast.
Key Takeaways
The Artemis II crew captured stunning photos of Earth from deep space during their journey to the moon, including images of northern Africa and Brazil. They are halfway to the moon after a successful rocket firing boosted them out of Earth orbit. The mission marks humanity's first return to lunar proximity since Apollo 1972.
One striking image shows a full Earth suspended in the blackness of space with clear views of specific regions revealed through time exposure. Another shot frames the blue-and-white planet in a cockpit window, highlighting the vast distance between the astronauts and their home world.
The crew's flight plan for Friday included rehearsals of basic medical procedures to prepare for possible emergencies in deep space. An outbound trajectory correction maneuver was called off as Orion remained almost perfectly on course, according to CBS News. As of midmorning Friday, they were 100,000 miles from Earth with 160,000 miles remaining before reaching the moon.
The Artemis II mission makes history as humanity's first return to lunar proximity since Apollo in 1972. The astronauts will set a new distance record when they fly past the mark set by Apollo 13 and observe the moon's far side from about 4,000 miles away.
The crew consists of Commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. They are expected to loop around the moon and return to Earth with splashdown planned in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego on April 10 or April 11.
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