NASA released 22 photos on Tuesday from the Artemis II crew's historic lunar flyby on Monday, showcasing stunning views of the Moon and Earth. The White House shared images from the far side of the Moon, including the first such photo captured by the Orion spacecraft. The mission broke the record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth by humans.
The Artemis II crew—commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen—conducted a seven-hour flyby of the Moon after surpassing the Apollo 13 distance record at roughly 252,756 miles from Earth. They captured images of the Moon's rugged topography, including Vavilov Crater on the rim of Hertzsprung basin, an Earthset revealing daytime over Australia and Oceania, and an Earthrise. NASA posted on X: “Hello, Moon. It’s great to be back. Here’s a taste of what the Artemis II astronauts photographed during their flight around the Moon.” The astronauts took turns documenting observations, with photos showing crew members like Wiseman looking out the window and Glover, Wiseman, and Hansen setting up a camera. They also took a selfie during the flyby, contributing data to shape future lunar science, NASA said. The White House shared the first photo from the Moon's far side, with Earth dipping beyond the lunar horizon, captioned: “Humanity, from the other side. First photo from the far side of the Moon. Captured from Orion as Earth dips beyond the lunar horizon.” Another image depicted the Moon eclipsing the Sun from lunar orbit: “Totality, beyond Earth. From lunar orbit, the Moon eclipses the Sun, revealing a view few in human history have ever witnessed.” On Monday night, President Donald Trump called the crew, calling them “modern day pioneers” and praising their achievement as the first lunar circling in over half a century. “You’ve made history and made all America really proud,” Trump said, outlining plans for a permanent Moon presence and Mars missions. Glover replied: “When you want us, we will be there.” Koch emphasized U.S. leadership in deep space, while Hansen thanked Trump on behalf of Canada. The Orion spacecraft completed its lunar trip Monday night and began returning to Earth, set to splash down Friday in the Pacific Ocean after a 10-day mission.
