HOUSTON — The astronauts aboard NASA's Artemis II mission are now forever linked to the groundbreaking Apollo 8 mission. A day after their historic lunar flyaround, NASA unveiled stunning new photos captured by the U.S.-Canadian crew.
The crew, consisting of three American astronauts and one Canadian astronaut, paid homage to Apollo 8’s iconic Earthrise photograph from 1968 with their own version known as Earthset. This captivating image features the Earth descending behind the moon's rugged terrain. Another remarkable shot captures a total solar eclipse as the moon obscures the sun from the astronauts' vantage point.
As they journey back home, set for a splashdown in the Pacific this Friday, scientists at Mission Control in Houston are analyzing the influx of moon images being sent back from the mission.
Apollo 8 made history over Christmas in 1968 as the world's first mission to orbit the moon, with its Earthrise image becoming an emblem of the contemporary environmental movement.
The Artemis II mission denotes NASA’s first return to crewed lunar missions, marking an essential milestone in preparations for a future moon landing slated for two years ahead. These newer missions aim to deepen our understanding of both the moon and Earth, linking space exploration with groundbreaking environmental initiatives.
