NASA has released the first high-resolution photographs of Earth, taken by the crew of the Artemis II after the Orion spacecraft entered its trajectory towards the Moon.
According to the American space agency, mission commander Reid Wiseman captured the images after the crew made a final engine burn, a maneuver that placed the capsule on a trajectory towards the Moon after rotating around Earth, as reported by BBC.
After completing the maneuver, the crew members were "glued to the windows" taking photos, said mission specialist Jeremy Hansen at the mission control center in Houston. "We have a beautiful view of the dark side of Earth, illuminated by the Moon," he said.
The first photograph, named "Hello, World," captures the vast blue expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the shining atmosphere. Auroras are visible at both poles.
Earth appears inverted, with the western part of the Sahara Desert and the Iberian Peninsula visible on the left, and the eastern part of South America on the right.
NASA identified the bright planet in the lower right as Venus.
Another image taken by Wiseman shows Earth divided between day and night. The line between light and darkness is known as the "terminator."
The American space agency later released another image where Earth is almost completely in darkness, and city lights shine in the night.
Additionally, NASA made a comparison between the current image of Earth and a similar one taken by the Apollo 17 crew in 1972, the last time humans landed on the Moon. "We have come so far in the last 54 years, but one thing has not changed: our home looks stunning from space!" is the message conveyed by NASA.
Meanwhile, the capsule has reached over 228,000 kilometers from Earth and is on a loop trajectory that will take the four astronauts around the far side of the Moon and back to Earth.
It is the first time since 1972 that humans have left Earth's orbit.
The spacecraft took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and the crew is expected to pass over the far side of the Moon on April 6 and return to Earth on April 10.
T.D.