Artemis II crew share first Earth portrait as Orion speeds towards moon

As Artemis II astronauts forged ahead on their lunar mission today, Nasa released initial images taken from inside the Orion spacecraft, including a full portrait of Earth featuring its deep-blue oceans and billowing clouds.

After a flurry of high-stakes activity including a dramatic blast-off and an engine firing that catapulted them on their historic trajectory to circle the moon, the four astronauts aboard were able to catch their breath, even as they continued to perform a variety of equipment checks and tests.

“There has been a tremendous amount of disbelief for me, it’s just so extraordinary,” said Canadian Jeremy Hansen during a Q&A session with press yesterday.

“I really like it up here,” said Hansen, on his first journey to space. “The views are extraordinary.”

This picture provided by Nasa shows a view of a backlit Earth as seen through the Orion spacecraft’s window, photographed by Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman, commander of Artemis II, on April 2, after completing the translunar injection burn. Photo / Reid Wiseman / Nasa, AFP

“It’s really fun to be floating around” in zero gravity, he added. “It just makes me feel like a little kid.”

Hansen is on the crew with Americans Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman.

They are due to loop around the moon early next week – a feat not accomplished in more than 50 years.

Nasa official Lakiesha Hawkins praised the photographs taken by commander Wiseman, calling them “amazing” during a briefing today.

“We continue to learn all about our spacecraft as we operate it in deep space with crew for the first time,” Hawkins said.

“It’s important to remind ourselves of that as we learn a little bit more day by day.

‘Great spirits’

Today’s to-do list includes a CPR demonstration and medical kit checks, the US space agency said, as well as preparation for the scientific observations they’ll need to document when they are closest to the moon on day six of their journey.

Nasa officials today reported that all systems were performing well, and that the astronauts were in “great spirits” and had spoken to their families.

The next major milestone of the approximately 10-day journey is expected on Monday (overnight Sunday into Monday US Eastern Daylight Time), at which point the astronauts will enter the “lunar sphere of influence” – when the moon’s gravity will have a stronger pull on the spacecraft than Earth’s.

If all proceeds smoothly, as Orion whips around the moon the astronauts could set a record by venturing further from Earth than any human has before.

“There is nothing normal about this,” said mission commander Wiseman on Friday.

“Sending four humans 250,000 miles [402,000km] away is a Herculean effort, and we are now just realising the gravity of that.”

The Artemis II mission is part of a longer-term plan to repeatedly return to the Moon, with the goal of establishing a permanent lunar base that will offer a platform for further exploration.

– Agence France-Presse