Artemis II captures an unforgettable photo of Earth

For the first time in 50 years, human beings are more than 1,000 miles away from Earth as the historic Artemis II mission continues. The four astronauts aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft — Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen — are currently circling the Earth and preparing for a potential translunar injection later today. As they look toward the moon, NASA also shared a picture looking back at the Earth, which appears as a crescent in the black of space. The picture shared by NASA is a screenshot from the Orion livestream, available via YouTube. It shows part of the Orion spacecraft as it travels around the Earth. Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today The picture calls to mind another iconic NASA photograph, known as "Earthrise." Taken by Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders on Dec. 24, 1968, the famous "Earthrise" photograph depicts the Earth rising above the ghostly lunar horizon. "Earthrise" is one of the most famous space photographs ever taken. Apollo 8 astronauts were the first to orbit the moon, and thus the first-ever humans to witness Earthrise in person. And like the Apollo 8 as