NASA's Orion capsule captured several photos of the Moon during its closest approach and the results are absolutely haunting.
. While preparing to enter what NASA calls a distant retrograde orbit, the Orion capsule also managed to capture a photo of the Moon’s surface as it came within 80 miles of our lunar body.Flickr account
for all to see. The photos of the Moon that Orion captured aren’t as colorful as what we’ve seen from James Webb’s first images, but they paint a somewhat haunting image of the lunar surface – something that humanity has yet to fully explore despite traveling to it over 50 years ago. The Moon is our closest “extraterrestrial” body, and as such, it has been the focus of many research papers, studies, and observations over the years – in fact, many skywatchers flock outside every month to catch glimpses of full moons like one of
. It’s often easy to forget just how lifeless the Moon is. But these new Orion photos of the Moon have come with a stark reminder.While putting humans back on the Moon is one of the NASA and other space agencies’ primary goals at the moment, the Moon itself is pretty terrifying when you really think about it. Not only is there so much we don’t know about our lunar body, but the landscape itself is bleak and haunting.
The photos were captured from just 80 miles away, making them relatively close up. The grey tone of the images also helps to sell the somewhat haunting and even tortured look of the lunar surface, too. Despite how haunting it might seem, though, the Artemis missions are going successfully so far. And, with future operations on the Moon, we could even see a
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NASA's Orion capsule buzzes the moon in a last step before humans revisit lunar orbitThe close approach of 81 miles occurred as the crew capsule and its three wired-up dummies were on the far side of the moon. Astronauts will take Orion for a ride around the moon as early as 2024.
Read more »
Mission to the moon: Orion capsule makes lunar approachIt is the closest that the capsule will get to the moon’s surface during this mission.
Read more »
NASA Successfully Maneuvers Orion Into Its Target Orbit Around the MoonThe space agency began the process of parking its Artemis 1 spacecraft in a distant retrograde orbit at 4:52 p.m. ET on Friday, November 25.
Read more »
Watch Artemis 1's Orion spacecraft enter lunar orbit FridayThe milestone moment will occur just before 5 p.m. ET on Friday (Nov. 25).
Read more »
Stunning images of lunar surface captured by NASA's Artemis 1 Orion spacecraftNASA's Johnson Space Center shared stunning black-and-white images from the Orion spacecraft's optical navigation camera of the craters on the moon's surface.
Read more »