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On April 6, the four astronauts aboard the Integrity spacecraft as part of the Artemis II mission documented their breathtaking view as they circled the far side of the moon and began their return to Earth.
NASA shared a gallery of spectacular images of the first flyby, revealing areas of the moon that no human has laid eyes on before, as well as a surprise solar eclipse.
The four astronauts—commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—spent seven hours photographing their view through one of Orion’s windows, taking turns with a handheld Nikon DSLR camera and two zoom lenses.
Below are some of the incredible photographs.
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Earthset
Image Credit: Courtesy NASA In this photo, Earth with bright white clouds sets behind the cratered lunar surface of the moon. At the time the photo was taken, the darkened portions are Earth were experiencing nighttime. In the foreground, the Ohm crater is visible; it has terraced edges and a flat floor interrupted by central peaks.
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Dark Side of the Moon
Image Credit: Courtesy NASA This photo was taken as Integrity flew over the “terminator”—the line that divides the light and dark sides of the moon, which the Artemis II crew described as “anything but a straight line.”
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Solar Eclipse
Image Credit: Courtesy NASA The moon backlit by the sun during an unexpected solar eclipse. This photo was taken by a camera on the Orion spacecraft’s solar array wings.
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Out of Service
Image Credit: Courtesy NASA This close-up of the surface of the moon was taken three minutes before the Orion spacecraft flew behind the Moon and lost contact with Earth for 40 minutes.
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Lunar Snapshot
Image Credit: Courtesy NASA A close-up of the rings of the Orientale basin, one of the moon’s best-preserved large impact craters.
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Power Up
Image Credit: Courtesy NASA Orion’s engines, taken from a camera mounted on a solar array wing.
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Paparazzo
Image Credit: Courtesy NASA Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen photographing the moon through one of Orion’s windows.
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Near Side of the Moon
Image Credit: Courtesy NASA A photograph showing more than two-thirds of the moon, including the 600-mile-wide Orientale basin and the Grimaldi crater.
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