Astronauts are taking incredible pictures from space, including the first images of Earth since the 1970s
Artemis II mission Four astronauts aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft are continuing their journey toward the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. While the crew is on the road 10 day tripThey are already more than halfway to the moon, with a lunar flyby planned for Monday.
Last Wednesday, the crew of four started They are from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., and spent their first full day in space testing the Orion capsule’s systems. NASA commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency mission specialist Jeremy Hansen are on board Orion.
hansen connected to the world He answered questions on a live video call Saturday morning, about three days into the post. The Canadian astronaut shared that all the training helped prepare the crew for the journey, but there was nothing like experiencing the journey in the moment.
“The images of the Earth and the crescent-shaped Earth are truly incredible,” Hansen said, adding that scientists told the team they could expect to see a solar eclipse behind the moon.
More spectacular images will be sent to Earth in the coming days, especially when they reach the far side of the moon. But for now, keep scrolling for the stunning images we’ve seen so far from the Artemis II mission, including snapshots from launch day to the first photos of our planet since the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972.
The Artemis II crew leaves Astronaut Headquarters at Kennedy Space Center on April 1. From left to right, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch. (Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Artemis II crewed lunar mission began April 1 at Kennedy Space Center. Four astronauts boarded a NASA rocket for a long-awaited trip around the moon. This is the first human flight to the Moon in more than half a century. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
(JIM WATSON via Getty Images)
Hansen, Wiseman, Kock and Glover answered questions from reporters at the first downlink event of their duties on April 2. (NASA TV/Handout via Reuters)
(via REUTERS/Reuters)
NASA astronaut Koch is illuminated by a screen inside the darkened Orion spacecraft during the third day of the Artemis II mission on April 3. (NASA/Handout via Reuters)
(via REUTERS/Reuters)
Image of the moon taken from the window of the Orion spacecraft by the Artemis II astronaut on the third day of the NASA mission on April 3. (NASA/Handout via Reuters)
(via REUTERS/Reuters)
An image of the Orion capsule taken with a camera mounted on one of the solar panel wings during a routine external inspection of the spacecraft on the second day of the Artemis II mission on April 3. (NASA/Handout via Reuters)
(via REUTERS/Reuters)
An image of Earth taken by NASA astronaut Wiseman from the window of the Orion spacecraft after completing its translunar injection burn on April 2. The image features two aurorae (upper right and lower left), and zodiac light (lower right) can be seen as the Earth occludes the Sun. (Report via NASA/Reuters)
(via REUTERS/Reuters)
NASA astronaut Wiseman’s view of Earth from one of the four main windows of the Orion spacecraft after completing a translunar injection burn as the crew headed toward the moon on April 2. (NASA/Handout via Reuters)
(via REUTERS/Reuters)
NASA astronaut Wiseman looks out one of the main cabin windows of the Orion spacecraft and looks toward Earth as the crew heads toward the moon on April 2. (NASA/Handout via Reuters)
(via REUTERS/Reuters)
NASA astronaut Koch looks out from one of the main cabin windows of the Orion spacecraft and looks toward Earth as the crew heads toward the moon on April 2. (NASA/Handout via Reuters)
(via REUTERS/Reuters)
An image of Earth taken by Wiseman from one of the four windows of the Orion spacecraft after completing its translunar injection burn during the mission to the moon on April 2. (NASA/Handout via Reuters)
(via REUTERS/Reuters)
