Moving through its orbit around the moon, NASA has shared a wondrous photo from the Orion spacecraft, capturing both the moon and Earth in the distance. It is the furthest photo of Earth ever captured by a spacecraft built for human occupation, taken 461,178km from Earth, according to NASA.
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Orion is nearing the completion of the Artemis I mission, the first phase of NASA’s new plan to get humans back to the moon by the year 2025. The Orion capsule was blasted into orbit in mid-November on a crew-less voyage around the moon and back. More due to circumstance than planning, Artemis I has made its journey around the moon 50 years after the last humans set foot on our cosmic neighbour.
The photo was taken on day 13 of the mission, and again just serves as a reminder of the vastness of the cosmos and the fragility and wonder of our home planet. The photo was captured at Artemis’ furthest point from Earth as is makes its way back for re-entry. NASA expects Orion to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on 13 December, having completed its journey around the moon.
On its way back, Orion also captured this mesmorising image of the capsule completing its closes pass by the moon.
If Orion proves safe, the next step will be the Artemis II mission, planned for 2024, in which a capsule will carry astronauts around the moon and back home. Then, in 2025, a capsule is scheduled to take astronauts back to the surface of the moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. NASA officials hope that this mission, called Artemis III, will mark the beginning of a sustained human presence on the lunar surface.
