Astronauts of the Artemis II mission provide spectacular images of the Moon, which, on the fourth day of the Artemis II mission, is visible through the portholes of the Orion capsule as it grows larger and closer.
NASA published on Sunday, April 5, photos taken by the crew, which capture amazing images of the Moon and the Earth from space, but also snapshots of the routine of the astronauts during the mission.
As the Artemis II astronauts continue their journey around Earth’s natural satellite, the Moon appears larger and closer through the portholes of the Orion capsule.
“History is being made. In this new image taken by NASA’s Artemis II crew, the Orientale Basin can be seen at the right edge of the lunar disk. The mission marks the first time this basin has been seen in its entirety by the human eye.” NASA reported.
The images of Earth also offer unprecedented perspectives, comparable to those taken during the Apollo missions of the 1970s, when astronauts left Earth’s orbit for the last time. The crew also appears in live broadcasts broadcast continuously by NASA, providing an authentic look at their daily routine and activities in space.
“We were able to see the hidden face of the Moon for the first time and it was simply spectacular. It wasn’t the Moon we were used to. So we pulled out our monthly mapping data, compared the images, and said: «Here is the hidden face». It’s something I’ve never seen before. No human eye had actually seen this crater until today, when we had the privilege of seeing it“, reported the American astronaut Christina Koch in a televised interview on board the Orion space capsule.
However, as Earth lags behind, pictures taken from inside the spacecraft shift their focus to the Moon, with the crew already more than half the distance to the satellite, and NASA announcing that the long-awaited flyby will take place on Monday.
As a reminder, this is the first manned mission to orbit the Moon in more than 50 years since Apollo 17 in 1972. The four astronauts set off Wednesday night on a 10-day flight that will take them around the far side of the Moon without landing.
Artemis II represents the first manned test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule, a mission critical to preparing for future moon landings and further space exploration, including NASA’s plans to reach Mars.
