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The Artemis II crew has captured stunning images of Earth’s captivating allure as their spacecraft races toward the moon.
Commander Reid Wiseman snapped a picture revealing Earth’s curved horizon framed within the spacecraft’s window.
Another photograph showcases our planet in its entirety, adorned with white cloud formations swirling above the vast oceans. A green aurora is also visible, according to NASA.
“It’s astounding to realize that apart from our four astronaut colleagues, every one of us is captured in this photograph,” noted Lakiesha Hawkins, a leader in NASA’s exploration systems. She confirmed the mission’s smooth progress.
By late Friday, Wiseman and his team were over 180,000 kilometers away from Earth, rapidly closing in on the moon with another 240,000 kilometers remaining. They are expected to arrive by Monday.
The three Americans and one Canadian will swing around the moon in their Orion capsule, hang a U-turn and then head straight back home without stopping.
They fired Orion’s main engine on Thursday night that set them on their course.
After Mission Control shifted the position of their capsule, the entire Earth complete with northern lights filled their windows.
“It was the most spectacular moment, and it paused all four of us in our tracks,” Wiseman said in a TV interview.
They’re the first lunar travelers since Apollo 17 in 1972.