NASA's Artemis Spacecraft Reaches The Moon, Sends Back Image Of 'Pale Blue Dot' Earth

Nasa's Artemis spacecraft has successfully arrived at the moon after finally blasting off from Earth last week. According to a BBC report, the Orion capsule swept 130km (80 miles) above the lunar surface, and it will now begin to enter a larger orbit. The vehicle was out of contact for 34 minutes during this manoeuvre, which began at 12:44 GMT, or 6:14 pm IST, as it took place on the far side of the Moon.

At the time of the burn, Orion was 328 miles above the Moon and travelling at 5,023 mph or 8083.73 KPH. Shortly after the burn, it passed 81 miles above the Moon, travelling at 5,102 mph. NASA says so far the mission has "exceeded expectations" since last week's launch.

The aircraft also sent back images of Earth looking extremely tiny like a 'pale blue dot' from 230,000 miles( 370149.12 km) away. 

Here's the picture:

Fly-by complete!@NASA_Orion completed its closest fly-by of the Moon this morning, 81 miles above the lunar surface, traveling 5,102 mph. Before the fly-by, we conducted an outbound powered fly-by burn, increasing speed at a rate of more than 580 mph: https://t.co/gqViM3BJLgpic.twitter.com/9IUkQUj4pf

— Jim Free (@JimFree) November 21, 2022

NASA flight director Zebulon Scoville said: "This is one of those days that you've been thinking about and dreaming about for a long, long time. "This morning, we just saw the Earth set behind the Moon as we take the next human-rated vehicle around the Moon, preparing to bring humans back there within a few years. This is a game-changer."

Prior to that, NASA also shared a series of stunning Orion selfies on Saturday, showing the human-rated capsule glimmering against the darkness of space.

See pictures here:

Spacecraft get selfies, too.

While teams performed a checkout on the @NASA_Orion spacecraft, these images were captured of the outside of the vehicle.

The #Artemis I mission is just a couple days from reaching the Moon: https://t.co/7Y3o8TGU3Cpic.twitter.com/1ezU0m4EQU

— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) November 19, 2022

#Artemis I, Flight Day 5. Orion spacecraft takes a selfie while approaching the Moon ahead of the outbound powered flyby - a burn of Orion's main engine on the @ESA service module. During this maneuver Orion came within 81 miles of the lunar surface. pic.twitter.com/93GkJ7Ubry

— Orion Spacecraft (@NASA_Orion) November 22, 2022

It will be the first time a space capsule has completed a flyby of the moon in half a century. Artemis I is an uncrewed mission designed to test NASA's Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft before astronauts go for a ride on a future mission.  If the mission is successful, Artemis I will be followed by a human trip around the moon in 2024 (Artemis II) and could lead to the first woman and first person of colour landing on the moon the year after. 

Howard Hu, the Orion programme manager, said last week's launch was a 'historic day for human space flight. He told the BBC: ''It's the first step we're taking to long-term deep space exploration, for not just the United States but for the world. I think this is a historic day for Nasa, but it's also an historic day for all the people who love human space flight and deep space exploration''.