When NASA’s Apollo 8 crew rounded the far side of the Moon in 1968 and astronaut Bill Anders snapped a picture of Earth peeking above the gray horizon, the image became a symbol of hope in challenging times. The photograph, Earthrise, as it came to be called, helped inspire the first Earth Day celebration two years later.
This year, the astronauts of the Artemis II mission captured their own poignant images of home. The newly released photo shows Earth on April 6, as the crew traveled farther than any humans before them.
“On Earth Day, we are reminded of the extraordinary responsibility we share to understand our planet,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “NASA’s Earth science missions continue to deliver critical data that strengthen communities, support industries like agriculture, and help the nation anticipate and respond to wildfires, droughts, flooding, and other natural hazards. Together with our Earth science partners, NASA is committed to deepening our understanding of Earth.”
From cameras pressed against spacecraft windows to the most powerful radar ever flown, imaging technology has taken giant leaps since 1968, but the drive to understand our home in the cosmos has remained.
“Our four Artemis II astronauts — Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy — took humanity on a journey that …