Amazing image of crescent Earth rising over the moon captured by Orion

The Orion capsule has made its closest walk supra the aboveground of the satellite and begun its travel backmost to Earth, capturing astonishing views of our satellite connected the way

Space 5 December 2022

By Leah Crane

Earth is seen arsenic a crescent beyond the satellite successful this representation taken from the Orion spacecraft

NASA

NASA’s Orion spacecraft, which launched atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket connected 16 November, is heading home. The capsule completed its closest walk by the satellite connected 5 December, hurtling astir the moon’s acold broadside and lighting up its thrusters to statesman the travel backmost to Earth.

The adjacent walk took the capsule conscionable 127 kilometres supra the aboveground of the acold broadside of the satellite – the broadside we ne'er spot from Earth owed to the magnitude of the moon’s orbit being tightly locked with the timing of its rotation. As Orion passed backmost into presumption of Earth, it took images of the crescent satellite rising supra the moon’s cratered surface.

If each goes well, Orion volition instrumentality to Earth connected 11 December, splashing down successful the Pacific Ocean disconnected the seashore of California. This volition beryllium 1 of the astir challenging parts of the mission – Orion’s vigor shield volition beryllium subjected to temperatures of astir 2800°C arsenic it plunges into Earth’s atmosphere. Making definite the vigor shield holds up during that infernal descent is 1 of the cardinal goals of this trial flight.

If Orion proves safe, the adjacent measurement volition beryllium the Artemis II mission, planned for 2024, successful which a capsule volition transportation astronauts astir the satellite and backmost home. Then, successful 2025, a capsule is scheduled to instrumentality astronauts backmost to the aboveground of the satellite for the archetypal clip since Apollo 17 successful 1972. NASA officials anticipation that this mission, called Artemis III, volition people the opening of a sustained quality beingness connected the lunar surface.

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• the moon
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