Artemis II reaches halfway point to the Moon: NASA reveals breathtaking Earth images
Photo: high-resolution image of Earth from Orion spacecraft (NASA)
The Artemis II crew has reached a key milestone on their journey to the moon and released the first detailed photos of Earth from deep space. This is the first human flight beyond low Earth orbit since 1972, according to NASA press release.
According to NASA, the first spectacular images of Earth were taken by mission commander Reid Wiseman after completing a maneuver that placed Orion on its trajectory toward the moon.
"We all had a collective expression of joy at that… We can see the Moon out of the docking hatch right now. It's a beautiful sight," astronaut Christina Koch said.
At the time the images were released, the spacecraft was about 228,500 km from Earth and 212,000 km from the Moon. The crew reached the halfway point roughly two days, five hours, and 24 minutes after launch.
One of the released images, titled "Hello, World," shows the Atlantic Ocean, Earth's illuminated atmosphere, and green polar auroras at both poles. The photo also captures the western Sahara, the Iberian Peninsula, eastern South America, and the bright planet Venus.
Other images show Earth on the edge of day and night, as well as a shot where almost the entire planet is in darkness, with city lights twinkling on the night side.
Photo: Earth's night side, taken from Orion during the Artemis II mission (NASA)
The Artemis II mission is currently following a circular trajectory designed to carry the crew around the far side of the Moon and back to Earth. This is the first time since 1972 that humans have left low Earth orbit.
Recall that on the night of April 2, NASA successfully launched Artemis II — the first crewed flight to the Moon in over 50 years. The rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft lifted off from Florida for an eight-day lunar flyaround with a planned return to Earth.
However, the mission already encountered its first technical difficulties during the flight. The crew reported a malfunction in the space toilet after a fault indicator flashed on board, signaling a problem with the controller. The astronauts then contacted ground specialists for assistance.
