Astronauts capture stunning views of moon and earth
NASA astronauts who broke the record for farthest distance from Earth were greeted by a total solar eclipse and witnessed an “earth setting” as they became the first to examine parts of the elusive far side of the moon with their eyes.
Artemis II astronauts beamed back more than 50 gigabytes worth of images and other data from their moon rendezvous, setting a new distance record for humanity.
Highlight: An “earth setting” photo reminiscent of Apollo 8’s 1968 earth rise.
Astronaut Christina Koch stated that she was amazed not only by the beauty of the world, but also by “how much darkness there is around it.”
“It made it even more special. It really highlighted how similar we are, that the same thing keeps every single human being on planet earth alive,” he told the space station crew in Houston.
“The specialness and value of this really highlights” when looking at the home planet from the moon, he added.
The first lunar explorers since Apollo 17 in 1972, Koch and three other crew members aim to make a splash off the coast of San Diego on Friday night local time (Saturday morning AEST) to complete the approximately 10-day test flight.
This sets the stage for Artemis III, a lunar lander docking demonstration in orbit around the earth, due in 2027. Artemis IV will follow two astronauts attempting to land near the moon’s south pole in 2028.
As for the Orion capsule’s pesky potty, mission control assured the astronauts that no maintenance was required.
The toilet has become an on-off confinement for the crew since last week’s launch, leaving them to rely on a spare bag-and-funnel system for urinating.
“We definitely need to fix some plumbing,” NASA administrator Jared Isaacman told the crew after their flight to the moon Monday night.
Apart from the restroom and other relatively minor issues, the mission was going well, Isaacman said at a news conference Tuesday.
“But once we get through reentry and everyone is under the parachutes and in the water, I’ll be able to breathe easier,” he said.
