NASA releases first Earth images from Artemis II astronauts

NASA released the first photos taken aboard the Artemis II Orion capsule showing views of Earth; mission commander Reid Wiseman took them with a tablet and the crew described the scenes during a Day 2 downlink.

NASA has released the first photographs taken aboard the Artemis II Orion capsule as the crew travels toward the moon. The images were captured by mission commander Reid Wiseman using his Personal Computing Device, a tablet with a camera. NASA and the crew described views that included sunset lighting, auroras and nighttime city lights. The astronauts paused a planned meal to look out the windows and take photos. What we know: - The images were taken from inside the Orion spacecraft while Artemis II was en route to the moon. - Mission commander Reid Wiseman used a Personal Computing Device (a tablet that includes a camera) to capture the photos. - One image showed sunset across Earth with visible auroras and a band of zodiacal light; another emphasized the planet’s nighttime glow with city lights and sunlight along the edge. - A separate window view presented Earth as a small blue sphere from the crew’s perspective. - Crew members, including Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, described the views during a Day 2 downlink and noted the crew delayed their first in-space meal to keep photographing the planet. Summary: The released photos present new views of Earth taken from Artemis II and highlight the crew’s direct reactions to those scenes. The images were captured and shared by the astronauts and discussed during a media downlink. Undetermined at this time.