Moon-bound Artemis II astronauts enjoy a relaxed day in space

The moon-bound Artemis II astronauts, enjoying spectacular views of Earth as it recedes behind them, took a break to chat with their families Friday before reviewing plans for closely observing the moon from the unique perspective of the lunar far side Monday.

Their flight plan for Friday also included rehearsals of basic medical procedures — including chest compressions and methods to clear airway obstructions — to help prepare future Orion crews for possible emergencies in deep space.

Plans to fine-tune the spacecraft's approach to the moon with an "outbound trajectory correction" maneuver, or OTC, were called off because the precisely aimed Orion spacecraft remained almost perfectly on course.

But the highlights of the crew's day in space, at least for armchair astronauts on Earth, were jaw-dropping photos of the home planet from the vantage point of deep space.

Two photos captured by Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman Thursday, shortly after a rocket firing that boosted the crew out of Earth orbit toward the moon, showed a full Earth suspended in the black of space.

The side of the planet facing the Orion capsule was in darkness, but a time exposure, captured a few seconds later, showed a clear view of northern Africa, the Strait of Gibraltar and the green coast of Brazil on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Also visible: colorful auroral displays over the poles and sunlight peeking around one side.

Yet another shot showed the blue-and-white planet framed in a cockpit window, an image that captured the gulf between the four Artemis II crew members and the rest of humanity.

Later in the day, a live video feed from a camera mounted on one of Orion's solar wings showed the moon dead ahead, a tiny gray marble suspended in blackness.

"It was really great to wake up this morning and look out the window and see the full moon off the front of the vehicle," Wiseman radioed mission control. "There was no doubt where we are heading right now, and we really appreciate all the work down there."

NASA video streamed from the Orion Friday showed the crew sharing a midday meal.

Video also showed astronaut Victor Glover following what appeared to be a workout. After the video was broadcast, the crew shared the following exchange with mission control.

Wiseman and his Artemis II crewmates — Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — are the first people to journey to the moon since the final Apollo mission in December 1972.

They will set a new distance record Monday when they fly past the 248,655-mile mark set by the crew of Apollo 13 in 1970. The far side fly over will begin at 6:47 p.m. EDT Monday, when the Orion disappears behind the leading edge of the moon, cutting off contact with Earth.

For 40 minutes, the astronauts will be alone with their thoughts and their observation checklists, passing within about 4,000 miles of the lunar surface at 7:05 p.m. To them, the moon will appear to be about the size of a basketball held at arm's length.

While that might not seem like a particularly close encounter, researchers say the astronauts will bring unique tools to their observations — human eyes.

"We are going to maximize every minute of looking at that far side," Koch said before launch. The ship's trajectory "will allow us to see things for the first time ever with human eyes, and that actually makes a difference to the people doing the scientific data analysis."

Forty minutes after flying behind the moon, Orion will sail back into line-of-sight contact with Earth, and from there, the spacecraft will head for home, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego on April 10.

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