During a historic moment while orbiting the Moon, the Artemis II mission crew captured many images that made a strong impression on the scientific community.
Breaking the record for the furthest distance humans have ever flown into space, set by Apollo 13, the Artemis II mission reached an estimated distance of 252,756 miles from Earth, completing its orbit around the Moon on April 8th.
The 7-hour flyby of the Moon allowed astronauts to admire the lunar surface from perspectives never before seen by humans. The crew was able to observe approximately 21% of the Moon's mysterious far side illuminated by the Sun.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (Mission Commander), Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen took approximately 10,000 photos, according to NASA's live broadcast of the mission.
NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch photograph the moon through the window of Orion spacecraft (Photo: NASA).
Communication was interrupted for about 40 minutes as the Orion spacecraft moved behind the Moon. The crew members observed an Earthset phenomenon, where the Earth appeared to be sinking behind the Moon, similar to what the Apollo astronauts witnessed in 1968.
The surface of the Moon can be observed with numerous impact craters. On the illuminated side of the Earth, clouds can be observed over Australia and Oceania, while the other half is shrouded in darkness at night.
The Earthset phenomenon occurred at 6:41 PM (Eastern Time) behind the Moon (NASA).
The Artemis mission's team of scientists trained the crew to observe specific features on the Moon, including ancient lava flows and impact craters. In this Earthset image, the astronauts observed the Hertzsprung Basin, which appears as two concentric circles.
The Orientale basin, an annular in shape, and two new craters named Integrity and Carroll can also be seen (Image: NASA).
The astronauts also noted the structural rings surrounding the Orientale Basin, one of the largest and youngest impact craters on the Moon. Prior to this mission, the Orientale Basin had never been observed directly with the naked eye.
At approximately 10 o'clock position relative to the Orientale Basin are two small craters. The astronauts proposed naming one crater Integrity—after their Orion spacecraft; the other Carroll—after the late wife of Commander Artemis II Reid Wiseman.
Carroll Taylor Wiseman, a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit, passed away in 2020 after battling cancer. Following the naming of the Carroll crater, the four astronauts embraced, overcome with emotion and shedding tears, and a minute of silence was observed at NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston.
From the perspective of the Artemis II crew, the Moon obscured the Sun, creating a rare sight that very few people in human history have ever witnessed (Photo: NASA).
The astronauts were able to observe a remarkable solar eclipse. For the Artemis II crew, the Moon appeared much larger through the windows of the Orion spacecraft than it would have from Earth.
A portion of the Moon is visible as the Artemis II crew observes a solar eclipse. Venus is on the left (Image: NASA).
A total solar eclipse, when the sun is completely obscured, lasts nearly an hour for astronauts, whereas on Earth, this period typically lasts only a few minutes.
Sunlight reappears from behind the Moon after the eclipse ends, as seen from the crew's perspective (Image: NASA).
During the eclipse, astronauts can also observe planets such as Mars, Venus, and Saturn, as well as stars and the Earthshine phenomenon—light reflected from Earth.
The Orion spacecraft can be seen on the left side of the Moon, illuminated against the Sun during a solar eclipse (Image: NASA).
The crew also captured impressive images of our own galaxy, revealing its characteristic spiral structure, highlighted by two spiral arms extending from either end of a central star bar. Earth lies within one of these arms, roughly midway between the galactic center and Earth.
After their flyby of the Moon, the Artemis II astronauts captured a spectacular image of the Milky Way (Photo: NASA).
After completing his orbit around the Moon, Artemis II mission commander Reid Wiseman thanked the NASA team of scientists for creating a memorable space journey.
The eastern edge of the South Pole Basin - Aitken, the largest and oldest basin on the Moon, was observed by the Artemis II crew (Photo: NASA).
Scientific Officer, Dr. Kelsey Young, expressed his gratitude to the crew: "The team of scientists, the lunar research community, and the world have received invaluable information from the crew's efforts. You have brought the Moon closer to us."
The Vavilov crater can be seen on the edge of the ancient and larger Hertzsprung basin (Image: NASA).
These images will help scientists better understand the nature and origin of the Moon, and lay the foundation for future missions to its surface.