Artemis II’s moon-bound astronauts capture Earth’s brilliant blue beauty as they leave it behind
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The Artemis II astronauts have captured the brilliant beauty of our blue planet as they inch ever closer to the Moon.
NASA released the first descending images of the crew on Friday, a day and a half after an astronaut’s first moonshot in more than half a century.
The first photo taken by Commander Reid Wiseman shows a curved slice of Earth in one of the capsule’s windows. The second shows the entire globe with the oceans topped by tendrils of swirling white clouds.
By mid-morning Friday, Wiseman and his crew were 90,000 miles (145,000 kilometers) from Earth and quickly gaining on the Moon with 168,000 miles (270,000 kilometers) still to go. They should arrive at their destination on Monday.
The three Americans and one Canadian will circle the Moon in their Orion capsule, turn around and then return straight home without stopping. They fired Orion’s main engine Thursday evening, which set them on their course.
They are the first lunar travelers since Apollo 17 in 1972.
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