Astronauts from the Artemis II mission capture impressive images of Earth

Astronauts on NASA’s Artemis II mission witnessed a spectacular sight as the spacecraft zoomed away from Earth. “You can see the entire globe from pole to pole… It was an impressive moment that left the four of us speechless,” said Commander Reid Wiseman, during the first public video conference with the crew.

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said the crew was glued to the windows to take in the “phenomenal” view.

He added: “Humanity has shown once again what it is capable of, and it is its hopes for the future that drive us now on this journey around the Moon.”

Hansen told NASA’s mission control center that the crew “strongly felt the power” of those who worked hard on the Artemis II mission.

NASA published on its social networks the first photos sent by the crew, which were taken a day and a half after the start of the first manned mission to the Moon in more than half a century.

The images include a curved section of the Earth seen from the capsule window Orion. The globe looks a dreamy pale blue, with white clouds and reflections of sunlight. Although the planet only occupies a fraction of the image, it is by far the brightest object. The capsule window is surrounded by a thick frame held in place with heavy-duty screws similar to those on an airplane window.

Control equipment

In the second image shared by NASA, the planet can be seen with swirling white clouds and a slightly lighter blue glow in some areas due to the reflected light. It shows a large brown continental mass that corresponds to Africa, with the Iberian Peninsula twinkling right where the world curves. You can also see the phenomenon of zodiacal light in both images.

While the crew heads to the Moon, thousands of kilometers away, mission specialists take care of their trip from the nerve center of the operation, which is the White Flight Control Room.

“The mission control team is very well trained and they are experts in the systems that supervise the spacecraft. They work for years to obtain the necessary training to perform this role, on the front line,” Kylie Clem, an official in NASA’s communications office, explained to Afp, behind a window from where the operation can be observed.

“Every person you see in the room has colleagues working behind the scenes, supporting them. So there are multiple people overseeing all the data and information to support the mission,” he added.

On Monday they arrive at their destination

The crew, made up of three Americans and one Canadian, was 90,000 miles from Earth and 168,000 miles from the Moon on Friday morning, and is expected to arrive at its destination on Monday.

Astronauts will fly around the Moon in their capsule Orion before returning directly to Earth, marking the first visit by lunar travelers since Apollo 17 in 1972.

The current record for the furthest space flight is approximately 248,000 miles, achieved by members of the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, which suffered technical problems.

However, if something goes seriously wrong, astronauts can still return via a round-trip maneuver that will allow them to return home in 36 hours.

The four crew members will be able to observe a total solar eclipse on the sixth day of the mission, while the spacecraft flies over the Moon.

While astronauts will not land on the Moon, the Artemis II mission paves the way for a future moon landing and lays the groundwork for sending a crew to Mars.

The mission had to be postponed for two months due to hydrogen fuel leaks and blockages in the helium lines.

NASA aims to send a crew back to the lunar surface by 2028, before China does so around 2030.

According to the Sputnik agency, the White House requested $8.5 billion for the Artemis lunar program in 2027, that is, $731 million more than last year, this was reflected in the budget request for next year’s fiscal year.

The funding will fully cover lunar landers, surface systems, spacesuits and astronaut transportation.