Artemis II's moonbound astronauts capture Earth as they leave it behind

## Summary
This image provided by NASA shows a view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from of the Orion spacecraft's window after completing the translunar injection burn on Apr 2, 2026. (Photo: AP/NASA) 04 Apr 2026 05:35AM (Updated: 04 Apr 2026 05:36AM) Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. The second photo taken by commander Reid Wiseman shows a curved slice of Earth in one of the capsule’s windows. “It’s great to think that with the exception of our four friends, all of us are represented in this image," said NASA's Lakiesha Hawkins, an exploration systems leader. CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less This image provided by NASA shows a downlink image of Earth taken by NASA’s Artemis II astronaut commander Reid Wiseman inside the Orion capsule on Friday, Apr 3, 2026. (Photo: AP/NASA) As of late Friday afternoon, Wiseman and his crew were more than 110,000 miles (180,000 kilometres) from Earth and were quickly gaining on the moon with another 150,000 miles (240,000 kilometres) to go. Related: Artemis II: What to know about NASA's first crewed mission towards the Moon since 1972 Source: AP/fs Sign up for our newsletters Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Subscribe here Get the CNA app Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Download here Get WhatsApp alerts Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app Join here Related Topics NASA Earth Artemis II Advertisement Also worth reading Content is loading...

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Artemis II's moonbound astronauts capture Earth as they leave it behind
Just a day and a half into the first crewed moon mission in over 50 years, NASA’s Artemis II astronauts sent back photos of Earth from space.
This image provided by NASA shows a view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from of the Orion spacecraft's window after completing the translunar injection burn on Apr 2, 2026. (Photo: AP/NASA)
04 Apr 2026 05:35AM
(Updated: 04 Apr 2026 05:36AM)
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: The Artemis II astronauts have captured our blue planet’s brilliant beauty as they zoom ever closer to the moon.
NASA released the crew’s first downlinked images Friday (Apr 3), 1 1/2 days into the
first astronaut moonshot in more than half a century
.
The first photo shows the entire globe with the oceans topped by swirling white tendrils of clouds. A green aurora even glows, according to NASA. The second photo taken by commander Reid Wiseman shows a curved slice of Earth in one of the capsule’s windows.
“It’s great to think that with the exception of our four friends, all of us are represented in this image," said NASA's Lakiesha Hawkins, an exploration systems leader. She added the mission was going well.
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This image provided by NASA shows a downlink image of Earth taken by NASA’s Artemis II astronaut commander Reid Wiseman inside the Orion capsule on Friday, Apr 3, 2026. (Photo: AP/NASA)
As of late Friday afternoon, Wiseman and his crew were more than 110,000 miles (180,000 kilometres) from Earth and were quickly gaining on the moon with another 150,000 miles (240,000 kilometres) to go. They should reach their destination on Monday.
The three Americans and one Canadian will swing around the moon in their Orion capsule, hang a U-turn and then head straight back home without stopping. They fired Orion's main engine Thursday night that set them on their course.
After Mission Control shifted the position of their capsule, the entire Earth complete with northern lights filled their windows.
“It was the most spectacular moment, and it paused all four of us in our tracks,” Wiseman said in a TV interview.
They're the first lunar travellers since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Related:
Artemis II: What to know about NASA's first crewed mission towards the Moon since 1972
Source: AP/fs
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less This image provided by NASA shows a downlink image of Earth taken by NASA’s Artemis II astronaut commander Reid Wiseman inside the Orion capsule on Friday, Apr 3, 2026. (Photo: AP/NASA) As of late Friday afternoon, Wiseman and his crew were more than 110,000 miles (180,000 kilometres) from Earth and were quickly gaining on the moon with another 150,000 miles (240,000 kilometres) to go.

### Implications
- They should reach their destination on Monday.
- The three Americans and one Canadian will swing around the moon in their Orion capsule, hang a U-turn and then head straight back home without stopping.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers nasa, earth, artemis topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 607.