Astronauts Who Travelled Halfway to the Moon Share Images of What Earth Looks Like
- NASA released high-resolution images of Earth captured by the Artemis II crew at the halfway point to the Moon
- Mission commander Reid Wiseman took “spectacular” images after a successful engine burn, which placed Orion on a lunar trajectory
- Astronaut Christina Koch said the crew expressed joy at the milestone, while Jeremy Hansen described views of Earth’s dark side lit by the Moon
NASA has released a series of high-resolution images of Earth taken by the Artemis II crew after reaching the halfway point between the planet and the Moon.
The photographs, described by the agency as “spectacular”, were captured by mission commander Reid Wiseman following a crucial engine burn that placed the Orion spacecraft on course towards the Moon.
Source: Getty Images
Crew marks halfway milestone with excitement
At the time of the milestone, NASA’s tracking data showed the Orion spacecraft positioned about 142,000 miles from Earth and roughly 132,000 miles from the Moon.
Astronaut Christina Koch said the moment was met with a strong emotional response from the team.
She noted that the crew shared a collective “expression of joy” when they were informed they had reached the halfway mark, just over two days after launch.
Images reveal Earth’s striking features from space
One of the released images, titled Hello, World, captures the Atlantic Ocean stretching across the frame, with Earth’s atmosphere glowing as the planet partially blocks sunlight.
The shot also reveals green auroras shimmering near both poles.
The image presents Earth in an inverted orientation, with parts of the western Sahara and the Iberian Peninsula visible on one side. At the same time, the eastern region of South America appears on the other. NASA also identified the bright object visible in the frame as the planet Venus.
Another photograph, taken from inside the Orion capsule, shows the planet through one of the spacecraft’s windows, offering a more close perspective of the view from space.
Spacecraft set on historic lunar path
The images were captured shortly after the crew completed a trans-lunar injection burn, a manoeuvre that propelled the spacecraft out of Earth’s orbit and onto a trajectory towards the Moon.
The Artemis II mission marks the first time since the Centre 17 mission that humans have travelled beyond Earth’s orbit.
The spacecraft, launched from Kennedy Space Centre, is expected to loop around the far side of the Moon before returning to Earth, with splashdown scheduled in the Pacific Ocean.
Astronauts captivated by views of Earth
Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen told mission control that the crew had been transfixed by the sight outside their windows.
Source: Getty Images
“We are getting a beautiful view of the dark side of the Earth, lit by the Moon,” he said.
Commander Wiseman later contacted mission control to ask how best to clean the spacecraft’s windows, joking that the crew’s eagerness to observe space had left them smudged, BBC reported.
Read also
Big setback for Eric Chelle as 3 key players leave Super Eagles camp before Jordan friendly
Challenges and triumphs in capturing images
Wiseman initially struggled to photograph Earth from such a distance, noting the difficulty in adjusting camera exposure.
“It’s like walking out back at your house, trying to take a picture of the Moon,” he said. “That’s what it feels like right now.”
Subsequent images, however, show clearer results, including a dramatic view of the boundary between day and night, known as the terminator, cutting across the planet. Another image reveals Earth almost entirely in darkness, with city lights faintly visible.
NASA also released a comparison between the latest images and similar photographs taken during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
“We’ve come so far in the last 54 years, but one thing hasn’t changed: our home looks gorgeous from space!” the agency stated.
NASA predicts when the world will end
Legit.ng reported that a groundbreaking study conducted by NASA, in collaboration with Toho University in Japan, has shown alarming projections about when the world will end.
Using advanced supercomputer simulations, researchers have modelled the long-term effects of rising solar radiation, climate change, and the sun’s gradual evolution, factors that could render the planet uninhabitable far sooner than previously anticipated.
Source: Legit.ng
