NASA releases stunning first images of Earth taken by the Artemis II astronauts

April 3, CNN -NASA released the very first images taken by astronauts aboard the Artemis II Orion capsule as they are making their way to the moon.

The stunning pictures were taken by mission commander Reid Wiseman using his Personal Computing Device — a tablet that includes a camera — and they are both views of Earth.

The first one was described by NASA mission control at Johnson Space Center in Houston as a “reminder that no matter how far we go, we are still one world, watching, hoping and reaching higher.”

The second image was taken from one of the Orion spacecraft’s windows, another view of the Earth described as a “pale blue dot seen through the crew’s eyes.”

On April 3, NASA shared one of the first photos taken by the Artemis II crew during the mission. 

NASA

The images pair well with some remarks made by mission specialist Christina Koch during a downlink event with media on Day 2 of the flight.

“Having just experienced incredible views of planet Earth, and seeing the entire planet out the window in one pane, knowing that we’re about to have some similar views of the moon in that same way is definitely getting me more excited for it,” she said. “I knew that that is what we would see. But there’s nothing that prepares you for the breathtaking aspect of seeing your home planet both lit up bright as day and also the moon glow on it at night, with the beautiful beam of the sunset. And knowing that we’re going to get similar views of the moon. I’m just, I’m really excited for that.”