
Artemis II Crew Shares Moon Images as They Close on Lunar Flyby
Key Takeaways
- Artemis II astronauts release new Earth photos from Orion as they near the Moon.
- Crew has passed halfway to the Moon and remains on track for a lunar flyby.
- Astronauts' photos offer a visual diary of the deep-space voyage.
NASA Photos and Views
The Artemis II crew shared awe-inspiring photos as they approached their lunar flyby.
CNN reported one image captured a portion of the Orientale basin which marks a first for human eyes.

CBS News reported the crew faced a quiet day while engineers worked to solve a toilet issue.
The Desert Sun recapped that the crew was now officially closer to the moon than to Earth.
Journey Progress and Challenges
The crew crossed the milestone of being closer to the moon than Earth for the first time in this mission.
Koch said, We're seeing more and more of the far side, and it's just a thrill to be here.

The Orion spacecraft's toilet system caused intermittent issues since launch.
Scientific American detailed health-related activities such as CPR practice.
Mission Context and Future
Artemis II is the first crewed test flight under NASA's Artemis program.
The 10-day journey would take the crew farther in space than anyone in human history.
NASA Administrator Isaacman called it the start of something bigger.
The public was poised to witness the culmination of five decades of planning since Apollo.
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