NASA Astronauts Take the First Photo of Earth in Half a Century (3 photos)

A similar photo was previously taken by astronauts aboard Apollo 17 in 1972.





NASA astronauts were able to take the first complete photo of the Earth in 54 years from the Orion spacecraft. This is the first image of the entire planet since 1972, when the Earth was captured from Apollo 17. Subsequently, "complete" images of the Earth were created by stitching together multiple individual images taken from low Earth orbit, according to media reports.

"We see our home planet in its entirety, illuminated in magnificent blues and browns... Together, we watch our astronauts embark on a journey to the Moon," NASA said in a statement.



This image shows the aurora borealis at the top of the globe. The photo was taken from a distance of more than 70,000 km from Earth.

It was reported that today the Orion crew received clearance to enter a trajectory toward the Moon. After completing the maneuver, the astronauts began preparations for a six-hour lunar exploration. Observations will help us learn more about the formation of the Moon, the formation of craters, lava flows, as well as cracks and ridges.

The Artemis II mission launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 2. This is the first human mission beyond low-Earth orbit in 50 years. The four-person crew will fly around the far side of the Moon and return to Earth, splashing down in the ocean. The Artemis 2 mission is considered a training mission for the Artemis 3 mission, which will see astronauts set foot on the surface of the Moon.





As a reminder, there were earlier reports of problems with the toilet on board Orion. However, the problem was quickly resolved; the only woman on the crew was able to repair the "space" toilet.