Stunning Images of the Moon Captured by Spacecraft from 130 km Away.
In an image published by Space on November 24, our Moon appears spectacularly, showcasing its unmistakable rugged surface captured at very close range.
Close-up of the Moon’s “rugged” surface captured by the Orion spacecraft. (Photo: NASA).
According to NASA, this is one of the images taken by the optical navigation camera on the Orion spacecraft during the sixth day of the Artemis-1 Moon mission.
At this moment, the Orion spacecraft is preparing for a crucial maneuver that will place the capsule into a high orbit around the Moon today (November 25).
Specifically, the capsule will perform a burn of its engine to maintain a stable altitude in lunar orbit for about one week before beginning its journey back to Earth.
NASA stated that the images captured during the Artemis mission will differ from what humanity has seen in the Apollo missions. Specifically, Artemis will prioritize documenting numerous significant events of both Earth and the Moon throughout its journey.
The surface features of the Moon, known as “lunar craters” or “moon pits”, are primarily formed by impacts from meteoroids and asteroids. (Photo: NASA).
Previously, the Orion spacecraft also captured images of Earth while moving approximately 57,000 miles (about 91,732 km) away from us. The photo reveals a stunning Earth, interspersed with vast blue oceans and white clouds forming over land.
Information from NASA indicates that the unmanned test flight of the Orion spacecraft is expected to last 25 days around the Moon before returning to Earth. The mission will conclude on December 11.
Lessons learned from this launch will be applied to the next missions, Artemis-2 and Artemis-3, scheduled for 2024 and 2025/2026, which will include astronauts on board.
