As the four astronauts on the 10-day Artemis II mission around the moon got their first clear glimpse of Earth, the view of their home planet in the distance stopped them in their tracks.
They captured a remarkable photo of Earth from the first crewed moon mission in 50 years. The photo, taken by Commander Reid Wiseman on April 2 from the Orion spacecraft's window, showed Earth from tens of thousands of miles away. It captured the "spectacular blues and browns" of the planet, and even caught two auroras lighting up the atmosphere.
The image has dazzled those back on Earth who are following the Artemis II mission and may never get the chance to see our home planet from space for themselves. But the view has also had a profound impact on the crew, the first humans to leave Earth's orbit since 1972.
"There was a moment about an hour ago where Mission Control Houston reoriented our spacecraft as the sun was setting behind Earth, and I don't know what we all expected to see in that moment," Wiseman told reporters during a question-and-answer session from space on April 2, describing all the detail the crew could see of Earth. "It was the most spectacular moment and it paused all four of us in our tracks."
