New Delhi, April 8: The American space agency NASA has shared breathtaking images of Earth and the Moon taken during the Artemis II mission on the social media platform X.
In their post, NASA wrote, “Hello, Moon. It’s great to be here.” Astronauts aboard Artemis II were able to view parts of the Moon never seen by human eyes before. They captured these unique sights in photos and words, which we are excited to share.
During the mission, astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen documented numerous memorable views of Earth and the Moon, continuously sharing their experiences. Notably, this includes the first-ever space images taken with a smartphone.
The Orion spacecraft is equipped with a total of 32 cameras and photo-video devices. Among these, 15 cameras are mounted on the spacecraft itself, recording key moments such as the launch, solar array deployment, and the journey around the Moon. The remaining 17 handheld devices, including Nikon D5 DSLRs, Nikon Z9 mirrorless cameras, GoPros, and smartphones, are with the four astronauts. These tools assist in engineering, navigation, crew monitoring, and lunar science and outreach activities.
According to NASA, the external cameras on the Orion spacecraft capture the mission from every angle, from the solar array to the interior of the cabin. A specialized optical navigation camera helps the spacecraft determine its position in deep space by taking images of Earth and the Moon.
The four-member crew has used these advanced cameras to capture images of Earth showcasing both the northern and southern auroras simultaneously. Some of these photos were taken with smartphones, marking their first approval for spaceflight use.
Additionally, some early images from Artemis II evoke memories of the famous “Earthrise” photo taken by Bill Anders during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968. At that time, a Hasselblad film camera with a 250mm lens was used. Today, Artemis II astronauts have access to 80-400mm telephoto lenses and superior digital cameras, making it easier to take high-quality images. However, capturing identical photos remains challenging due to the speed and timing of the flight.
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