Earth in a Single Frame: A Historic Image After 54 Years
World
For the first time in more than half a century, astronauts have captured a full image of Earth — a rare photograph taken during a journey to the Moon, now considered one of the most significant space images in recent years.
Astronauts from NASA photographed the entire Earth from aboard the Orion spacecraft during a lunar flyby. The last time such an image was captured was in 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission.
The released image shows the planet in full, with its characteristic blue and brown hues. The northern lights are also visible in the upper part of the image.
According to NASA, the photograph represents a view of Earth as a shared home for humanity. Since the Apollo missions, similar images have only been created by stitching together multiple photos taken from low Earth orbit.
The Orion spacecraft was launched on April 2 from Cape Canaveral using the Space Launch System rocket as part of the Artemis II mission, carrying four astronauts.
The mission is expected to last about 10 days, during which the crew will fly around the Moon, including its far side, before returning to Earth and splashing down in the ocean. The flight serves as a test mission ahead of Artemis III, which aims to land humans on the Moon by 2028.
The released image shows the planet in full, with its characteristic blue and brown hues. The northern lights are also visible in the upper part of the image.
According to NASA, the photograph represents a view of Earth as a shared home for humanity. Since the Apollo missions, similar images have only been created by stitching together multiple photos taken from low Earth orbit.
The Orion spacecraft was launched on April 2 from Cape Canaveral using the Space Launch System rocket as part of the Artemis II mission, carrying four astronauts.
The mission is expected to last about 10 days, during which the crew will fly around the Moon, including its far side, before returning to Earth and splashing down in the ocean. The flight serves as a test mission ahead of Artemis III, which aims to land humans on the Moon by 2028.
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