As Earth's 8 billion inhabitants beam well wishes up to the sky, the crew of NASA's Artemis II mission is looking back at us with just as much hope.
The mission's Orion spacecraft sent back its first image of Earth yesterday, a beautiful shot of a crescent Earth peeking out through the dark expanse of space, and the crew has gifted us even more stunning high-quality images today.
The new Artemis II images — coupled with initial shots of the spacecraft hurtling through Earth's orbit, surrounded by glittering, galactic ice — have rendered much of the public awestruck, feeds flooding over with an overwhelming sense of emotion as the astronauts look back at our home.
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Artemis II's crew — Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, and pilot Victor Glover — includes the first woman and first Black astronaut to go to the moon. For many, the diverse team represents the best of what humanity has to offer, the pinnacle of human ingenuity and bravery.
"Trust us: You look amazing, you look beautiful, and from up here, you also look like one thing," Glover said during a broadcast on Flight Day 2. "We're all one people."
The historic, awe-inspiring mission to the moon will take them farther than any humans have gone in space. It will hopefully be the first of a series of efforts to get us back on the lunar surface — and back to the age of Apollo. And it's just getting started.
NASA is sharing images on its website, where you can check out more of the new Artemis II images:
Well, there we all are. The blue marble. For those who need a little orientation: The large landmass you see in the center-left is Africa. The thin line of glowing green light on the top right and bottom left? The aurora borealis, hovering above us earthbound humans and lighting up our sky as Artemis II sails away.
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Take a look at this incredible shot of the Earth through the Orion capsule window, which NASA posted with a cheery "Good Morning" to the spacecraft's inhabitants and the mission's stateside teams.
Stay safe, Orion crew. That's all of us cheering you on.
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Curious where the Artemis II mission is right now? Check out NASA's live mission tracker.
