Skip to main content

This is the stunning view humans will soon get to experience

The moon and Earth as seen from the Orion spacecraft in November 2022.
The moon and Earth as seen from NASA’s Orion spacecraft during the Artemis I mission in November 2022. NASA / NASA

It’s amazing to believe that in just a couple of years from now, human beings will be gazing at the same view as shown in the image above.

Recommended Videos

The image features the view from NASA’s un-crewed Orion spacecraft during the current Artemis I mission, with the moon and Earth far away but clearly visible.

The spacecraft’s flight is a test for the upcoming Artemis II mission that will send astronauts on a flyby of the moon to within about 80 miles of the lunar surface, and will also include astonishing views like the one we see here.

The Artemis II mission is expected to follow the same path as the Orion is taking now. It will involve taking humans to a point about 268,000 miles from Earth — farther from our planet than any human has ever traveled. As of today, the furthest a human has traveled from Earth is 248,655 miles, a feat that took place during the Apollo 13 mission in 1970.

The Orion spacecraft launched aboard NASA’s new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 16.

“Because of the unbelievable can-do spirit, Artemis I has had extraordinary success and has completed a series of history-making events,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said this week. “It’s incredible just how smoothly this mission has gone, but this is a test. That’s what we do — we test it and we stress it.”

Jim Free, NASA’s associate administrator for exploration systems development, added: “Orion is performing so well we’re evaluating adding more test objectives to characterize the spacecraft further and reduce risk for future missions.”

The Artemis I mission is scheduled to finish with Orion splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on December 11.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
The first views of the eclipse are coming in, and they’re stunning
Still from the NASA livestream of the total eclipse in Russellville, Arkansas on March 8, 2024.

Eclipse mania is gripping swaths of the U.S. as today is the day that a total solar eclipse passes across the country from Texas to Maine. The eclipse began in Mexico at 2:07 p.m. ET and is sweeping up and across the U.S., with plenty of excellent views despite concerns about the weather in many places.

NASA is live-streaming views of the eclipse captured from various locations along the path of totality, which is a great way to enjoy the event if you are outside the region where it is visible.

Read more
What kind of view will ISS astronauts get of the solar eclipse?
A total solar eclipse.

NASA Astronauts Talk about the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

In case you haven’t heard, a total solar eclipse is about to happen.

Read more
NASA astronauts will try to grow plants on the moon
An artist’s concept of an Artemis astronaut deploying an instrument on the lunar surface.

An artist’s concept of an Artemis astronaut deploying an instrument on the lunar surface. NASA

It was almost a decade ago when astronauts aboard the International Space Station sat down for a meal of historical significance as it was the first to include food -- albeit only lettuce -- grown and harvested in space.

Read more