NASA has unveiled the first images captured from inside the Artemis II mission's Orion spacecraft, where four astronauts are currently traveling on a journey around the Moon. In a photograph shared on Friday, mission commander Reid Wiseman captured a view of Earth through the capsule's window. The image shows the planet veiled in sweeping cloud formations, appearing to rise beyond the spacecraft as the crew continues its voyage.
A different image displays the entire globe with oceans and even a green aurora glowing. As of midmorning Friday, Wiseman and his crew were 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometers) from Earth and were rapidly closing in on the Moon, with another 160,000 miles (258,000 km) to go. They are expected to reach their destination on Monday.
The three American astronauts and one Canadian will fly around the Moon in the Orion capsule before looping back toward Earth without landing. The spacecraft was set on its course after the crew fired Orion's main engine on Thursday night. Mission specialist Christina Koch, the first woman to journey around the Moon, told ABC News in a video call on Thursday night: "I knew that is what we would see, but there's nothing that prepares you for the breathtaking aspect of seeing your home planet both lit up bright as day and also the moon glow on it at night."
The mission is now on its third day out of a planned 10-day flight. On the sixth day, the crew will fly by the Moon, with the spacecraft reaching its closest approach approximately 4,000-6,000 miles (6,450-9,650 km) above the lunar surface. The astronauts will travel around the far side of the Moon, becoming the first humans to journey that far into deep space in over 50 years. Prior to that phase, the crew is rehearsing the scientific observations they plan to carry out during the lunar flyby.
After looping around the Moon, the spacecraft will use its gravity to return to Earth, with splashdown expected in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on April 11 at about 00:06 GMT (8:06pm ET on April 10). For the astronauts, the journey is not only a technical mission but also a personal one. Seeing Earth from deep space serves as a reminder of humanity's shared identity, said Victor Glover, the first Black astronaut to make the journey beyond low-Earth orbit.
Source: www.aljazeera.com