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art002e000192 (April 3, 2026) - A view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft's windows after completing the translunar injection burn on April 2, 2026. The image features two auroras (top right and bottom left) and zodiacal light (bottom right) is visible as the Earth eclipses the Sun. Nikon D5 | Nikon AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8G ED | 22mm | F4.0 | 1/4 sec | ISO 51,200 |
On April 1, NASA successfully launched Artemis II, sending four astronauts to orbit the moon and marking the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program. There have already been plenty of incredible images of the launch shared, but now, NASA has shared the first images taken by the crew aboard Orion.
The two images were taken by Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from the spacecraft's window. The photograph of Earth seen above is a truly remarkable view of our planet. You can make out two auroras at the top and bottom, and glowing zodiacal light on the bottom right; it's a special scene that was very well captured.
The second image includes a sliver of Earth as well as a portion of the spacecraft's window. It offers a sense of what these astronauts saw in the moment, which is pretty special in my opinion. I know I will never find myself on a spacecraft, but having a photo that lets me see what they see, at least in a small way, is really fun.
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art002e000191 (April 3, 2026) - A view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft's four main windows after completing the translunar injection burn on April 2, 2026. Nikon D5 | Nikon AF Nikkor 35mm F2D | F20 | 1/250 sec | ISO 250 |
Commander Wiseman took both images after the maneuver that propels Orion around low Earth orbit, towards the Moon and, eventually, back home. All of the EXIF data is stored with the images, which is also neat to see. He took both photographs with a Nikon D5. For lenses, he used Nikon's 14-24mm F2.8 lens for the image at the top of the article and a 35mm F2 for the window image above.
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art002e000180 (April 1, 2026) - This black and white image of Earth was captured by the optical navigation sensor on the exterior of the Orion spacecraft on the first day of the Artemis II mission, as the four astronauts inside were traveling farther than any humans have ventured in more than 50 years. |
In addition to the two images taken by Commander Wiseman, NASA also shared a photograph taken by the optical navigation sensor on the exterior of the Orion spacecraft. The black and white shot is certainly dramatic, and shows just how capable some of the exterior cameras are as well.
With this kicking things off, we can't wait to see more from the Artemis II crew as they continue on their mission.
If you're curious to learn a bit more about what goes into being a photographer while in space, check out our 2019 interview with Colonel Terry Virts (ret.), a U.S. Air Force pilot and NASA veteran of two spaceflights. Colonel Virts shared some really interesting insights, such as the unique challenges that space poses for gear (radiation is not good for chips) and how cameras are picked for missions.