Artemis II: Crew snaps 'Earthset' in throwback to Apollo 8
Rana Taha with AFP, AP
April 7, 2026
The Artemis II astronauts photographed the moment when the Earth dips below the moon's horizon, as they prepare to return to our planet's gravitational pull.
Artemis II's stunning Earthset shot is a nod to a similar photo taken some 58 years ago by their Apollo 8 predecessorsImage: NASA/AP Photo/picture alliance
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The Artemis II crew gave another throwback to 20th century space endeavors, when they on Tuesday snapped a breathtaking shot of an "Earthset," or the moment the Earth dips below the moon's horizon.
The photo is a nod to an iconic Earthrise image, which an Apollo 8 astronaut took in 1968.
Relief and joy as historic Artemis II mission is a success
There was relief and joy after the Artemis II mission came to a successful end. The crew was in space for almost 10 days and flew to the moon and back. Their spacecraft splashed down safely off the coast of California.
Image: NASA/Bill Ingalls/REUTERS
Artemis II mission is a success
After a journey of almost 10 days to the moon and back, the Artemis II crew returned safe and sound.
Image: Bill Ingalls/NASA/Anadolu/picture alliance
Countdown to lunar flyby
The first lunar mission in more than 50 years launched on April 1 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The goal was not to land on the moon but to orbit it and break a new record. During a flyby, the crew saw the far side of the moon — a view which only two dozen Apollo astronauts had seen before.
Image: Jim Watson/AFP
Making history
The oldest member on board was Commander Reid Wiseman, born in 1975 (center). He was joined by 50-year-old Canadian Jeremy Hansen (left), the first Canadian citizen to travel to join a moon mission, spacecraft pilot Victor Glover (49, right), the first Black person to travel to the moon, and 47-year-old Christina Koch, the first woman to make the trip.
Image: NASA/AP Photo/picture alliance
'You look amazing. You look beautiful'
On April 3, for the first time since the start of the Artemis II mission, the crew of four astronauts sent back images from the spacecraft. The view of Earth from space filled them with excitement. "Trust us, you look amazing, you look beautiful," NASA astronaut Victor Glover said from his vantage point on the Orion capsule.
By April 4, the crew had already traveled more than half of the roughly 300,000 kilometers (186,400 miles) to the moon. This photo shows astronauts Hansen (left) and Koch going about their daily routine in the capsule. The selection of beverages wasn't much different from what people enjoy on Earth: coffee, tea, smoothies and lemonade.
Image: NASA/AFP
Most expensive toilet in the world?
The Universal Waste Management System cost some $23 million to make, making it surely the most expensive toilet in the world. It encountered problems at the beginning of the mission, but these were soon fixed.
Image: James Blair/NASA
Powerful computers
The Orion capsule had two computers, in case one failed. Each is 20,000 times faster than the single computer in the original Apollo spacecraft which went to the moon in 1969, with 128,000 times more memory.
Image: NASA/AFP
Moon calling earth
The Artemis crew traveled further from Earth than any humans before them, flying past the far side of the moon. They flew over 250,000 miles before turning back.
Image: NASA/ZUMA/picture alliance
Excitement on earth and in space
As the crew made its way back to Earth, visitors at the San Diego Air and Space Museum watched with anticipation and awaited the landing with some trepidation as this is one of the most risky phases of such a mission.
Image: Grace Hie Yoon/Anadolu/picture alliance
'A beautiful sight'
Speaking with the astronauts late Friday, Mission Control sent an encouraging message: "You are now closer to the moon than you are to us on Earth." Koch said the crew could see the moon out of the docking hatch, calling it "a beautiful sight."
Image: NASA/AFP
Joy and relief after successful mission
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman spoke with the crew after they were extracted from their Orion spacecraft shortly after it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.
They are due to splashdown in the Pacific off the Californian coast on Friday.
The Artemis had to wear protective glasses crew while witnessing a total solar eclipseImage: NASA/AP Photo/dpa/picture alliance
The Artemis II reached a distance of 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers) away from the earth, breaking the 1970 Apollo 13's record by more than 4,000 miles.
On Tuesday, the four of them were seen wearing their protective glasses as they witnessed a a total solar eclipse, when the moon blocked the sun from their perspective.
The Artemis II crew got to experience a total solar eclipse on their historic mission around Earth's natural satelliteImage: NASA/AP Photo/dpa/picture alliance
The crew includes US astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Glover is the first Black person to fly around the moon, Koch is the first woman and Hansen is the first non-American.
Their historic mission to loop around Earth's natural satellite is part of a broader program in preparation for a potential 2026 moon landing.
"Humans probably have not evolved to see what we're seeing," said Victor Glover. "It is truly hard to describe. It is amazing."
The crew of 4 sent back several breathtaking photos of their view of the moon and the EarthImage: NASA/AFP
