The Artemis II crew made history as they traveled further from our planet than any other living humans. The astronauts and NASA are making the most of the trip, including by capturing some utterly stunning photos. The space agency shared some that were taken from the far side of the Moon, including the “Earthset” shown above.
This is a depiction of our planet setting behind the Moon, just as the sun sets over the horizon for us on terra firma every single night. “The image is reminiscent of the iconic Earthrise image taken by astronaut Bill Anders 58 years earlier as the Apollo 8 crew flew around the Moon,” the NASA Artemis account on X noted.
The crew also witnessed a solar eclipse from the far side of the Moon, with the satellite totally blocking out the sun. This lasted for around 57 minutes as Orion travelled more than 4,000 miles beyond the Moon. You can see several photos of the eclipse and Earth from the lunar flyby in the slideshow above. (And yes, the astronauts used eclipse glasses to protect their eyes.)
While they were circling the Moon, the Artemis II crew discovered two new craters. The astronauts suggested names for them: Integrity (after the nickname for their spacecraft) and Carroll, after the late wife of Commander Reid Wiseman, describing the latter as a “bright spot on the Moon.”
The mission will last a few more days as the astronauts are now returning to Earth. Orion is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego on April 10.
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