Planet Earth Views—New Photos | NASA Artemis II Moon Mission

Planet Earth Views—New Photos | NASA Artemis II Moon Mission

Earth is illuminated against the blackness of space in this photo taken by an Artemis II crew member through an Orion spacecraft window on the second day of the mission.

A sliver of Earth is illuminated against the blackness of space in this photo taken by an Artemis II crew member through an Orion spacecraft window on the second day of the mission.

A view of Earth taken by an Artemis II astronaut from one of the Orion spacecraft's four windows on April 2, 2026.

A view of Earth taken by an Artemis II astronaut from one of the Orion spacecraft's four windows on April 2, 2026.

View out of one of the Orion spacecraft's main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the Moon.

Happy Earth Day!🌍❤️

Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally through EarthDay.org (formerly Earth Day Network) including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries.

In 1969, at a UNESCO conference in San Francisco, peace activist John McConnell proposed a day to honor the Earth and the concept of peace, to first be observed on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This was later sanctioned in a proclamation written by McConnell and signed by Secretary General U Thant at the United Nations. John McConnell (March 22, 1915 – October 20, 2012) was the founder and creator of Earth Day, and The Earth Society Foundation. He was known for designing the Earth Flag, pursuing causes relating to peace, religion, and science.

The first crewed test flight of NASA’s Artemis program lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1, 2026, carrying the first astronauts to travel to the Moon in more than half a century. 

During their nearly 10-day mission, the crew completed a record-setting lunar flyby, taking them 252,756 miles at their farthest distance from Earth and 4,067 miles above the lunar surface at their closest approach. 

Artemis II splashed down at 8:07 p.m. April 10 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. Following splashdown and recovery, the four crew members underwent post-mission medical evaluations before returning to shore and boarding an aircraft bound for Houston. Upon arrival, the crew was welcomed by and reunited with their families, friends, and agency workforce. The crew has begun their postflight reconditioning, medical and human performance evaluations, and lunar science debriefs.

Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Learn more about NASA's Artemis II Mission:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

Credit: NASA
Date: April 2, 2026

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