The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released the first images of Earth as seen from the Orion spacecraft of the Artemis II mission. The images showed the entire Earth “illuminated in spectacular blues and browns”.
The images were released on Day 3 of the Artemis II mission, which launched on April 1.
Two breathtaking images of our planet Earth were captured by Artemis II astronaut Reid Wiseman as the crew looked back through the window of the Orion capsule.
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“Good morning world! 🌎 We have stunning new high-resolution images of our home planet, all looking back through the window of the Orion capsule at our Artemis II astronauts as they continue their journey to the Moon,” NASA posted on X.
The US space agency added: “We see our home planet in its entirety, illuminated in spectacular blues and browns. The green aurora even illuminates the atmosphere. This is us, together, watching our astronauts make their way to the moon.”
What do the two pictures of Earth show? NASA explains
1. In the first image, NASA said Earth is peering through the capsule’s window, reminding us that such a view depends on the ingenuity and hard work of countless people back home.
NASA description: “One-third of Earth peeks through the window of Orion’s capsule. The planet is a dreamy pale blue, swirling white clouds and reflected sunlight. Although Earth fills only a fraction of the image, it is by far the brightest object in the image.”
“The capsule window is surrounded by a thick frame held in place by screws, resembling the window of a heavy aircraft. The capsule is dark, but the outlines of the straps and various components of the capsule are visible. In the upper right corner, lighter white components are visible.”
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2. In the second image, we see our home planet in its entirety, illuminated in spectacular blues and browns. The green aurora even lights up the atmosphere in the north.
NASA description: “An image of the entire disk of the Earth as seen from the Orion capsule. The planet is pale blue, swirling with white clouds and glowing a slightly lighter blue in places from reflected light.’
“From about 8 to 9 o’clock, Africa is a large brown landmass, with the Iberian Peninsula shimmering with lights just where the planet curves. At 1 o’clock, the aurora glows in a thin green glow, barely separated from the planet’s surface.”
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Photo of “Blue Marble” from 1972
The first images of the Artemis II crew took social media by storm soon after they were released by NASA on Friday. User X even compared images from the Artemis II mission to those taken during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
The “NASA Historical Office” called the Artemis II crew image “a blue marble photo for a new generation” – a reference to the image of Earth taken by the Apollo 17 crew in 1972.
The classic “Blue Marble” photograph of Earth was first taken on December 7, 1972. It showed the view of Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew traveling to the Moon.
Blue marble from Apollo 17(NASA)
NASA explained the image as follows: This photo of the translunar coastline extends from the Mediterranean region to the southern polar ice cap of Antarctica. This is the first time that the trajectory of Apollo has made it possible to photograph the southern polar ice cap. Note the heavy cloud cover in the Southern Hemisphere. Almost the entire coast of Africa is clearly visible. The Arabian Peninsula can be seen on the northeastern edge of Africa. The Republic of Madagascar is a large island off the east coast of Africa. The Asian mainland is on the horizon to the northeast.”
Artemis II mission update
For the first time in more than 50 years, four astronauts — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen — on NASA’s Artemis II mission must fly around the moon after successfully completing the Orion’s main engine key burn.
With the roughly six-minute firing of the spacecraft’s service module engine on Thursday, known as a translunar injection, Orion and its crew of NASA astronauts accelerated to break out of Earth orbit and begin a departure trajectory toward Earth’s nearest neighbor.
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“Today, for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, humans left Earth orbit. Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy are now on a precise trajectory toward the Moon. Orion is operating with a crew for the first time in space, and we are collecting critical data and learning from every step,” said Dr. Lori Glaze, acting director of system development in Washington for Miss Exploquar.
“Each milestone we reach represents meaningful progress on the way forward for the Artemis program. While we have eight intense days of work ahead of us, it’s a big moment and we’re proud to share it with the world,” he added.
