The Artemis II astronauts have shared groundbreaking photos of the lunar far side and the Orientale basin as they prepare for a historic moon flyby this Monday.
NASA’s Artemis II crew has released a series of historic new photographs capturing the lunar surface and life inside the Orion spacecraft as they approach a pivotal lunar flyby scheduled for Monday. Among the unprecedented images is the first human-eye view of the 600-mile-wide Orientale basin, a transition region between the moon’s near and far sides previously seen only by robotic probes.
NASA astronaut Christina Koch remarked that the crew’s initial views of the lunar far side have been “absolutely spectacular,” noting that “something about you senses, ‘That is not the moon that I’m used to seeing.’” As the mission passes the halfway mark, the imagery has shifted from Earth-centric perspectives to detailed lunar observations and candid interior shots, including high-resolution selfies taken via cameras on the spacecraft’s solar array wings.
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