AkaSci 🛰️A crescent Earth as seen from the Artemis II Orion Integrity spacecraft, now over 46,000 km away. The spacecraft is located above the north-east coast of Brazil, where it is night-time
22/n
The serene view of the Pale Blue Crescent from the Artemis II Orion Integrity spacecraft this morning, now located 70,920 km away in its elliptical orbit, high above the Pacific Ocean, west of Peru, as the astronauts grab some sleep after a hectic day yesterday.
Integrity, the Artemis II Orion Integrity spacecraft, is located 71,245 km away, almost 2x the alt. of GSO, in a highly elliptical orbit, above the Pacific Ocean, west of Peru.
After reaching Apogee, it will turn around and execute a Perigee Raising Burn at around 8:15 a.m. EDT (12:15 UTC) and head back towards Earth.
12 hours later, at Perigee, it will execute the Translunar Injection Burn and shoot for the Moon.
https://www.n2yo.com/?s=99999&live=1
https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/solar-system/#/sc_artemis_2
https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii-press-kit/
24/n
Artemis II astronauts woke up this morning at 7:06 a.m. EDT with the song “Sleepyhead” by Young and Sick.
They then completed the perigee raise burn by igniting the Orion service module’s main engine for 43 seconds, which modified the trajectory to a 191x70133 km elliptical orbit. Perigee in another 12 hours or so.
The crew members will rest for another 4.5 hours before they are again awakened to start their first full day in space.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIW-w-P2nOc
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/02/artemis-ii-flight-update-perigee-raise-burn-complete/
25/n
Sleepyhead
Artemis II has a total of 28 camera systems, many for internal and external inspection and navigation, 4 located on each of Orion’s 4 solar arrays.
The fixed engineering cameras are primarily meant for in-flight inspection of the spacecraft. But they also opportunistically capture images of Earth and the moon in the background.
The astronauts carry two handheld Nikon D5 digital SLR 20.8 MP cameras for hi-res images and videos.
https://talkoftitusville.com/2025/12/24/what-cameras-will-the-artemis-ii-astronauts-have-aboard/
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20230017638/downloads/1325_Melendrez_Orion%20Imaging%20Capabilities.pdf
26/n
Check out this dashboard for real-time status and telemetry from Artemis II.
h/t @cdnspace
https://fosstodon.org/@cdnspace@mstdn.ca/116336006900298832
27/n
Cubesats deployed by Artemis II in High Earth Orbit:
TACHELES, German Space Agency: Effects of space env on electrical components.
K-RadCube, Korea AeroSpace Admin: Space radiation and its biological effects
Space Weather CubeSat-1, Saudi Space Agency: Space weather at a range of distances from Earth
ATENEA, Argentina's Space Agency; Assess radiation shielding methods, measure Earth's radiation spectrum, collect GPS data and validate a long-range comm link
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6197&context=smallsat
28/n
Artemis II Trans Lunar Injection (TLI) burn coming up at 7:49 p.m. EDT.
The 349-second burn will increase Integrity's speed of ~11,000 m/s by 388 m/s and stretch the current 191x70,133 km elliptical orbit to go ~7,400 km beyond the moon and return back to earth.
A few minor burns will be made during the trip to fine-tune the trajectory.
The graphic below shows the approx. location of Integrity and the moon - now, during TLI and around April 6-8.
Go #Artemis2!
One might consider it foolhardy for Artemis II Orion to come screaming down at 11 km/s to 191 km altitude, cross the paths of the LEO constellations and debris around 500 km, perform the TLI to adjust its speed and trajectory and race away, without colliding with anything.
But we can be assured that all that is taken care of and LEO satellites will maneuver to get out of the way as needed.
😱🤞
https://satellitetracker3d.com/track?norad-id=27426
30/n
Artemis II TLI complete. All systems good.
Here is a view of Earth from the spacecraft at altitude ~200 km during the TLI.
Integrity and the 4 astronauts are now headed for the moon.
Current orbit is 202x501,181 km, but the actual values will be slightly smaller due to gravitational interaction with the moon.
31/n
It's lonely out there 😞
Artemis II Orion is now 33,668 km away, traveling at 15,347 km/h, approaching geo-sync orbit, as Earth recedes in the dark distance, while the Moon beckons.
Astronauts have plenty of work and activities to keep them busy during the mission. Live media event with the astronauts coming up soon.
Artemis II astronauts are preparing to do a public event in the next few minutes where they will speak directly with media.
👍
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3kR2KK8TEs
33/n
👍
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3kR2KK8TEs
33/n
Immersive 360° view video of the launch of the Artemis II mission.
Experience NASA's Artemis II Moon Launch in 360°
The 20-minute event last night where Artemis II astronauts spoke from space, answered questions and eloquently described their experience so far and the importance of this historic mission.
Inspiring!
Go #Artemis2
Artemis II crew speaks from space
A magnificent view of a serene blue Earth taken yesterday by NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft's four main windows while approaching Earth 5 hours before the translunar injection. The Sun is to the right in the image.
Camera: NIKON D5 (DSLR, 20.8 MP)
LensInfo: 35mm f/2
ISO 250
ExposureTime: 1/250 s
CreateDate: 2026:04:02 18:53:12 UTC
Distance: 51,800 km
Image and EXIF data at https://images.nasa.gov/details/art002e000191
36/n
The Blue Marble imaged by Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman ~30 minutes after translunar injection yesterday, as Orion started its sprint to the moon.
The image shows 2 auroras (top right and bottom left) and zodiacal light (top left). This is the night side of Earth lit by moonlight.
Camera: NIKON D5 (DSLR, 20.8 MP), 14-24mm f/2.8
FocalLength: 22.0 mm
ISO 51200
ExposureTime: 1/4 s
CreateDate: 2026:04:03 00:27:39 UTC
Distance: 10,150 km
Image and EXIF data at https://images.nasa.gov/details/art002e000192
37/n
This is an image of the full night-side Earth disk taken seconds before the image in the previous post but with a shorter exposure time.
In this image, we can see the electric lights of human activity. In the lower right, sunlight illuminates the limb of the planet.
Camera: NIKON D5 (DSLR, 20.8 MP)
Lens: 14-24mm f/2.8
FocalLength: 22.0 mm
ISO 51200
ExposureTime: 1/15 s
CreateDate: 2026:04:03 00:27:20 UTC
Distance: 10,050 km
Image and EXIF data at https://images.nasa.gov/details/art002e000193
38/n
The Artemis II Orion spacecraft is now just over half way through on its journey to the vicinity of the moon.
It will take 3 more days to arrive near the moon as its velocity decreases over time, currently at 5,218 km/h.
Go #Integrity
A possible view from the Artemis II Orion spacecraft at 22:35 UTC April 6 of a crescent Earth setting over the limb of a crescent Moon, as visualized using the NASA Eyes on the Solar System tool. In this image, Orion has traveled past the moon and is looking over its far side.
https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/solar-system/#/sc_artemis_2?rate=0&time=2026-04-06T22:35:00.000+00:00
40/n
The simulated view from the Artemis II Orion spacecraft 45 minutes later at 23:20 UTC April 6 of a crescent Earth rising over the dark lunar surface, as visualized using the NASA Eyes on the Solar System tool. In this image, Orion has traveled past the moon and is looking over its far side.
A closeup of the aurora australis over the Antarctic in the Blue Marble image highlights the thin fragile atmosphere that sustains all life on Earth. Note that South is up.
These images, the first such images taken by humans in over 54 years, remind us of the beauty and the fragility our planet, and of our shared responsibility to care of it and of each other.
🧑🤝🧑 🌍
https://images.nasa.gov/details/art002e000192
42/n
The Moon beckons!
Photo take by the GoPro camera, located on the tip of one of the 4 solar array wings, shows part of the Orion spacecraft with the Moon in the distance.
The ESA European Service Module (ESM) and its thrusters are clearly visible.
Camera: GoPro, HERO4 Black, 12MP
FocalLength: 3.0 mm
ISO 100
ExposureTime: 1/3900 s
CreateDate: 2026:04:03 14:21:47 UTC
Distance to moon: 238,900 km
Image and EXIF data at https://images.nasa.gov/details/art002e004429
Another similar image at https://images.nasa.gov/details/art002e004411
43/n
Two of the 4 CubeSats deployed by Artemis II failed to enter proper orbit.
Successfully deployed:
TACHELES, German Space Agency
Space Weather CubeSat-1, Saudi Space Agency
Failed to enter proper orbit:
K-RadCube, Korea AeroSpace Admin
ATENEA, Argentina's Space Agency
https://fosstodon.org/@planet4589.bsky[email protected]/116345118308094276
@jpshoer
44/n
Pics of a crescent Earth and the Moon, taken from Artemis II at about the same time last night.
Earth:
Camera: NIKON D5 (DSLR, 20.8 MP)
Lens: 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6
FocalLength: 150 mm
ISO 500
ExposureTime: 1/640 s
CreateDate: 2026:04:03 23:38:59 UTC
Distance: 198,200 km
Moon:
Camera: NIKON D5 (DSLR, 20.8 MP)
Lens: 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6
FocalLength: 400 mm
ISO 500
ExposureTime: 1/500 s
CreateDate: 2026:04:03 23:44:47 UTC
Distance: 233,800 km
https://images.nasa.gov/details/art002e004437
https://images.nasa.gov/details/art002e004438
45/n
Wake-up music at Artemis II Integrity earlier today - "Chappell Roan – Pink Pony Club."
"I know you wanted me to stay
But I can’t ignore the crazy visions of me in LA
And I heard that there’s a special place
Where boys and girls can all be queens every single day
I’m having wicked dreams
Of leaving Tennessee
Oh, Santa Monica
I swear it’s calling me
Won’t make my mama proud
It’s gonna cause a scene
She sees her baby girl
I know she’s gonna scream
..."
Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club (Official Music Video)
Visualization of what Artemis II astronauts will see during the lunar flyby as Integrity approaches the Moon and flies around its far side.
The flyby will last from 2:45 – 9:40 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 6, 2026.
Highlights in the 420x time-compressed video:
00:35: Earth sets behind the lunar limb
00:35 - 00:40: Earth is eclipsed by the moon for about an hour
00:40: Earth-rise on the other side of the moon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMr86Yrvzlo
Also at https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/04/artemis-ii-flight-day-4-deep-space-flying-lunar-flyby-prep/
NASA/Ernie Wright
47/n
Artemis II moon flyby visualization
Artemis II astronauts woke up on Easter Sunday to the catchy tune of "Working Class Heroes (Work)” by CeeLo Green."
"Get up, get out, go get that money
It's time to work, eh alright
Work, eh alright
Early in the morning
I'm ready and I go
It's feel like struggle
We can open up the doubts
Everybody cans crack
I got hustle in my blood
A little bit is not enough"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fKPn0t7j6Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a1Nz-iojfY
48/n
CeeLo Green - Working Class Heroes (Work) from Barbershop: The Next Cut
Pic of a shrinking Earth, taken earlier today from Artemis II, as the spacecraft approaches the moon.
Camera: NIKON D5 (DSLR, 20.8 MP)
Lens: 14-24mm f/2.8
FocalLength: 24 mm
ISO 400
ExposureTime: 1/1250 s
CreateDate: 2026:04:05 06:35:18 UTC
Distance from Earth: 318,900 km
Still another 24 hours for lunar flyby, as Orion slows down in its orbital path, now traveling at 2,436 km/h.
OK, you figure out which torsos, hands and legs belong to which astronaut in this scene aboard Artemis II Orion, as the astronauts "conduct a full sequence of suit operations, including putting on and pressurizing their suits, performing leak checks, simulating seat entry, and assessing mobility and their ability to eat and drink."
😄
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3kR2KK8TEs
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/05/artemis-ii-flight-day-5-crew-starts-day-with-suit-demo/
50/n
😄
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3kR2KK8TEs
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/05/artemis-ii-flight-day-5-crew-starts-day-with-suit-demo/
50/n
The Moon imaged from Artemis II earlier today.
Compared to the image of the near side of moon taken from Earth (the 2nd image), this image is rotated right by about 45°, since Orion's look-angle is towards the "left side" on the moon. See post #49 for look-angles from Orion and Earth.
Camera: NIKON D5
Lens: 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6
FocalLength: 400 mm
ISO 400
ExposureTime: 1/1000 s
CreateDate: 2026:04:05 04:02:50 UTC
Distance to Moon: 142,000 km
From Earth: 311,200 km
https://images.nasa.gov/details/art002e009057
51/n
The Moon imaged from inside the Artemis II Orion spacecraft earlier today.
The image was taken a little over an hour after Integrity entered the lunar sphere of influence at 04:37 UTC, which will shape its orbit and turn it around.
Camera: NIKON D5
Lens: 35mm f/2.0
FocalLength: 35mm
ISO 400
ExposureTime: 1/250 s
CreateDate: 2026:04:06 05:45:17 UTC
Distance to Moon: 60,630 km
From Earth: 376,700 km
The Artemis II Orion spacecraft is currently 396,390.6 km from Earth, crossing the orbit of the Moon. It will go past it as the Moon slides under it, reach apogee at 23:07 UTC while observing the far side of the Moon and then head back to Earth. Closest approach to Moon = 6,550 km at 23:02 UTC.
Webcast begins at 17:00 UTC at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-j1uxBmis0
Continuous coverage at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3kR2KK8TEs
Nice real-time status dashboard by @chad at https://artemis.cdnspace.ca/
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/06/artemis-ii-flight-day-6-crew-ready-for-lunar-flyby/
53/n
A nice shot from inside the Artemis II Orion cabin as the astronauts prepare for the lunar flyby later today. Christina is like Batwoman, generally "hanging" upside down from the "ceiling" as she works on her assignments (also when she sleeps)🦇 😎
This is a good YouTube site to watch the trajectory and current location of the Artemis II Orion spacecraft and of the Moon.
🔥 Artemis II Live Mission Map (Orion) | Day 5 -
The Artemis II astronauts will be focusing on imaging certain features of the Moon during the flyby. E.g, the Orientale and Hetrzsprung Basins.
More info at https://science.nasa.gov/resource/artemis-ii-lunar-targeting-plan/
Note that most of the Moon has been imaged and mapped at sub-meter resolution by various orbiters over the past many years.
Check out this site to examine the lunar surface at various zoom levels and by searchable features - https://quickmap.lroc.im-ldi.com/?camera=-651167.7986%2C-3861610.2989%2C-1558914.2393%2C0.1545%2C0.9162%2C0.3698%2C-0.0615%2C-0.3647%2C0.9291%2C60&showGraticule=true&stack=3314%2C3113&selectedFeature=517%2C127&proj=22&defs=N4IgzAjBYgXKB7ADgQwMYEsAuBPOAGAOgBYwBfAGnEmLkVU1zgjLKA
56/n
The moon as viewed by the GoPro camera on the solar panel of the Artemis II Orion spacecraft at 21:30 UTC. The day-night line bifurcates the Moon. Part of what we see here and the area under darkness is the lunar surface on the far side of the moon.
Go #Artemis2 🌓
57/n
A graphic of the location of the Artemis II Orion spacecraft on its orbital path and the location of the Moon as it "slides" under it.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChmaNMHU9CQ
58/n
Earth-set!
Moments before the communications interruption.
Earth-rise and comms reestablishment around 7:25 p.m. EDT (23:25 UTC).
60/n
Flight controllers taking a well-deserved break as Orion traverses the far side of moon with radio-silence for about 45 minutes.
61/n
61/n
Orion is back in LOS of Earth, greeted by a crescent Earth-rise. Can't see much of the dark side of the moon with this GoPro engineering camera.
52/n
Looks like Artemis II will lose the comm link soon, as it approaches a solar eclipse at 8:25 p.m. EDT (00:25 UTC). Comms will be back around 9:00 p.m. EDT (01:00 UTC), via the DSN site in Madrid, after batteries are recharged.
53/n
The Artemis II webcast mentioned again that astronauts will see a solar eclipse from the moon, "the first humans to ever do so."
Didn't Apollo 11 astronauts see the Sun eclipsed by the moon? Also, Apollo 12 astronauts imaged a solar eclipse caused by Earth.
Or is there some distinction between this solar eclipse and the ones during Apollo?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SolarEclipseChasers/posts/8080799298608939/
https://science.nasa.gov/resource/eclipse-apollo-12/
54/n
The Artemis II downlink is still active. It has continued sending video from the GoPro camera. This is a still from the webcast of the Solar eclipse, as the Sun disappeared behind the Moon.
Note that the Sun appears much smaller than the Moon from this vantage point.
Uplink and two-way comms came up shortly thereafter.
Here comes the sun, doo-doo-do
Here comes the sun
And I say, "It's all right"
Sunrise at Artemis II. Aka the end of the solar eclipse.
😎
56/n
The Beatles - The Beatles - Here Comes The Sun (Official Music Video) [2019 Mix]
For the curious, this is what the far side of the Moon looks like. It looks quite different than the near side; unlike the near side, it has a battered, densely cratered appearance with few maria.
It looks like the astronauts witnessed a few meteor strikes on the dark far side tonight.
You can zoom into sub-meter resolution, even do a flyover, on this detailed map created from data collected by lunar orbiters over many years.
https://quickmap.lroc.im-ldi.com/settings?camera=-5387057.0661%2C-18982.9183%2C-189195.198%2C0.9994%2C0.0035%2C0.0351%2C-0.0351%2C-0.0001%2C0.9994%2C60&stack=3314%2C3113&proj=22&defs=N4IgzAjBYgXKB7ADgQwMYEsAuBPOAGAOgBYwBfAGnEmLkVU1zgjLKA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far_side_of_the_Moon
58/n
What will the Artemis II astronauts dream of tonight?
Landing on the far side of the Moon or Home Sweet Home?
Welkin
David P
nojhan, Cassandre de l’analyse systémique
Annie
SnoopJ@SnoopJ @cosmos4u @markmccaughrean
Perhaps, it is the proximity of Artemis II Orion to the Moon that creates the distinction?
Perhaps, it is the proximity of Artemis II Orion to the Moon that creates the distinction?
@AkaSci @cosmos4u @markmccaughrean good question, I don't know the particulars. Could be whether or not they were in totality, or how long they were in totality, or how much of the disk was covered…
I don't even know if the Apollo 12 eclipse was something they'd explicitly planned for, but I believe it's very deliberate for #Artemis2
@AkaSci @cosmos4u @markmccaughrean the relative position could definitely affect the characteristics of the eclipse they'd observe, though, which seems like it would be pretty important to the science goal(?) of trying to observe solar plumes/etc. around the occluded disk.
I can't find very much good information about the Apollo 12 eclipse in a few quick web searches but I could definitely believe it was an annular eclipse or otherwise not quite comparable
Daniel Fischer@SnoopJ @AkaSci @markmccaughrean Both the Apollo 11 and 12 solar eclipses were (very) total: https://www.facebook.com/dan.fischer.393/posts/pfbid02mf6UK3L2j5SgPiQsJk9JVYmo6XvZwDDZ23BYpXwJPDszaSpUYzuinkMyHzh9RF8Rl and https://skyweek.wordpress.com/2019/11/24/eine-fette-sofi-fur-apollo-12-durch-die-erde/ - the crude montage https://bsky.app/profile/ridingrobots.bsky.social/post/3miunicqanc2g from the Artemis images actually bears some resemblance to the Apollo 11 eclipse image.
@cosmos4u thanks for the added context. It seems hard to believe that NASA would have a gaffe here in claiming a first, but I suppose it's not unbelieveable and I can't think of any other asterisks.
Mark McCaughrean@cosmos4u @SnoopJ @AkaSci Thanks for all of this, gents – very helpful ahead of my radio interview this morning (if they ever send me the Zoom link). It will certainly require some nuanced commentary on what has (& hasn’t) been done for the first time in science terms: hopefully I will have long enough to also emphasise what’s really new about this mission & more importantly, those to come, assuming landings in the south pole region.
Dr. Eric J. Fielding, PhD@markmccaughrean @cosmos4u @SnoopJ @AkaSci One of the most valuable science observations that the astronauts made was several flashes of meteorites hitting the Moon while they were in the eclipse. I did not catch the final number, but it was more than the NASA scientists expected.
@EricFielding @cosmos4u @SnoopJ @AkaSci Thanks, Eric – I was hoping to hear something about that & hopefully there’s some information about that online. Any chance that they managed to get images in long exposures? Any possibility that these were actually cosmic ray flashes in the eyeballs rather than lunar impacts? I’m sure they’ve ruled out the latter by comparison with “observations” when *not* looking at the Moon, but … 🙂🤷♂️
@markmccaughrean @EricFielding @cosmos4u @AkaSci I believe they mentioned on comms that there are terrestrial observers (citizen science!) looking for strikes as well (not sure how that works…), and it seemed like the astronauts aboard were able to corroborate each other's observations from the capsule
Thomas Sturm@AkaSci @cosmos4u @markmccaughrean Some of the definitions of what's a "first" seem to be a little loose.
But if nothing else, it's been 50 years, so these observations are now done with much improved equipment and a whole lot of new background knowledge on the ground.
Also by not being focused on a landing, the crew can really dive into the science requests from the ground. It's going to be a rare opportunity going forward.
Chancerubbage@AkaSci @cosmos4u @markmccaughrean
I think the one of the Apollo instances may have been when astronauts were actually on the moon?
Not sure I would count the earth blocking the sun an eclipse if you are in a ship ducking behind the earth at the time. That’s more ‘on purpose’ than coincidental. Like playing hide and seek.
Joe ❌👑@AkaSci @cosmos4u @markmccaughrean I have seen several reports like this, claiming firsts that are not firsts. For example, claiming that this was the first time astronauts saw the far side of the moon (which they are calling the dark side of the moon even they should know better) even though of course Apollo 8 was the first time.
David Penington@not2b @AkaSci @cosmos4u @markmccaughrean I believe the claim was the first time astronauts saw the whole far side if the moon, because Artemis II is much further from the moon than the Apollo missions were. It is not much to claim - the lowest effort pass over the far side if the moon.
@DavidPenington @AkaSci @cosmos4u @markmccaughrean But all of the Apollo missions did multiple orbits of the moon, while Artemis did only one flyby.
@DavidPenington @not2b @AkaSci @cosmos4u The added distance is valuable to get an overview, but they only went a bit further past the Moon than Apollo 13: do we know how much of the far side was illuminated back then?
Can’t have been more than 20% illuminated for Artemis II today, because I just photographed the setting Moon here in Heidelberg this morning & it was about 80% illuminated from our perspective 🙂🌖
George Saich@AkaSci
I got that snip too. It is now my desktop background.
I got that snip too. It is now my desktop background.