Cape Canaveral, Florida – Artemis 2 astronauts captured the magnificent beauty of our blue planet as they approached the moon.
This image provided by NASA shows a view of Earth from the window of the Orion spacecraft after it completed the burn through the moon on April 2, 2026.
NASA via AP
NASA released the first images of the crew on Friday, a day and a half after the first astronaut launched to the moon in more than half a century.
The first image taken by Commander Reed Wiseman shows a curved slice of Earth in one of the capsule’s windows. The second shows the entire globe with oceans topped by swirling white tendrils of clouds. The aurora even glows green, according to NASA.
This image provided by NASA shows a photo of Earth taken by NASA Artemis II astronaut Reid Wiseman inside the Orion capsule on Friday, April 3, 2026.
NASA via AP
As of mid-morning Friday, Weissman and his crew were 100,000 miles from Earth and were quickly reaching the moon with another 160,000 miles (258,000 km) to go. They should reach their destination on Monday.
The three Americans and one Canadian will swing around the moon in their Orion capsule, make a U-turn and head straight home without stopping. They fired Orion’s main engine Thursday night, setting them on course.
This image from video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew appearing in a video conference from lunar orbit Thursday, April 2, 2026.
NASA via AP
After Mission Control repositioned their capsule, the entire Earth filled their windows with the northern lights.
“It was the most exciting moment, and it stopped us all in our tracks,” Wiseman said in a television interview.
They are the first travelers to the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.