NASA Releases First High-Resolution Photos Captured by Artemis II Astronauts
The crew of the Artemis II mission is heading towards the Moon, where they will conduct a close flyby. After the launch on April 2 of the NASA SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion Integrity capsule and executing the trans-lunar injection (TLI) maneuver, it will take a few days of travel before they reach the satellite. As they departed from Earth, the astronauts began capturing epic images of their adventure.
The First Photographs of the Artemis II Mission
One of the first photographs released by NASA shows a part of Earth through the window of the Orion Integrity spacecraft. The image was captured by American astronaut Gregory Wiseman, who has recreated a photograph that hasn’t been seen since the Apollo program. Typically, crews do not travel far enough from Earth to see the entire planet (which is possible with robotic missions).
As seen, Earth appears in pale blue, dotted with white clouds. The capsule's window is surrounded by a thick frame secured with bolts, but the focus is undoubtedly our Planet as the Artemis II crew is heading towards the Moon. The inside of the capsule is dark, but thanks to good post-production and the technical capabilities of the Nikon D5 camera, many details can be noticed. In this case, the camera was used with a 35 mm f/2.0 lens, closing the aperture down to f/20 with a sensitivity of 250 ISO and an exposure time of 1/250”, also using flash according to EXIF data to illuminate part of the scene.
The second photograph shown is also by Gregory Wiseman. In this case, Earth (still from the dark side, yet appearing bright due to camera settings and editing) is shown fully as seen from the Orion capsule. Once again, the blue of the oceans is dominant, but the white cloud streaks are also prominent. One can notice a large brown area, recognizable as the African continent, while further down lies the Strait of Gibraltar and the Iberian Peninsula. In the upper area, there is a faint trace of aurora, as a green glow, while the bright dot is the planet Venus. Here, the Nikon D5 was paired with a 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8 lens, using an aperture of f/4 and a sensitivity of 51200 ISO. The focal length was set to 22 mm, while the exposure time was 1/4”.
The third high-resolution photograph captured by the Artemis II crew member is once again Earth viewed from the Orion capsule. This time the planet faces the spacecraft, wrapped in the darkness of night, while to the right, the light of the sun begins to emerge. Once again, the clouds are prominently displayed, but here, human activity can also be noted with the most populated and brightly lit cities appearing as tiny dots. Again, the lens was the 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8 at 22 mm focal length, aperture f/5.6, with an exposure time of 1/15” and sensitivity at 51200 ISO.
Gregory Wiseman also captured another view of Earth, where the terminator zone can be observed, transitioning from day to night. The lower half is very bright, making the upper part, wrapped in darkness, less visible. Once again, the clouds can be noticed. In this case, the astronaut chose an 80.0-400.0 mm f/4.5-5.6 zoom lens at 80 mm focal length, aperture at f/14, exposure time at 1/320” and 400 ISO sensitivity.