Like the moon above the earth, the earth’s crescent stands in the sky above the lunar surface. The photo was taken by the astronauts of the Artemis II mission, six minutes before the “earth set”. The Earth can be seen in increasing phase. Oceania is illuminated by the sun.
The Artemis II mission launched on the night of April 2nd. It is the first manned lunar mission since 1972. Almost a week later, astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen reached and orbited the moon on Monday, April 6th. They were able to observe the lunar surface for almost seven hours. Very few people have seen the back of the Earth’s satellite with their own eyes, because the Moon always shows the same side to the Earth. The crew’s observations are all the more revealing.
A radio connection from Earth to the far side of the moon is impossible; the moon blocks the signal. Pilot Victor Glover stated before the communications blackout: “As we prepare to end radio communications, we will continue to feel your love from Earth. And to all of you down on Earth and around Earth: We love you, from the moon. See you on the other side.” The signal was restored after about 40 minutes, shortly after the astronauts observed an “earthrise.”
As they orbited, the astronauts described and photographed terrain features such as impact craters, ancient lava flows and surface cracks. They also looked at differences in color, brightness and texture of different structures. This can help understand the composition and history of the lunar surface. At the end of the moon observation, the astronauts were also able to view a solar eclipse. They took the opportunity to examine the Sun’s outer atmosphere as it shone from behind the Moon. They also observed a total of six flashes of light from meteorite impacts on the lunar surface.
The astronauts are now on their way back to Earth. On Tuesday they spoke to the crew of the International Space Station, the first long-distance alien conversation. The crew is finally scheduled to land in the Pacific on the night of April 11th.