Images of Artimis II
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Images of Artemis II
 Image 1: Side-by-side comparison: Soviet N1-7L; U.S. Saturn V, SLS Block 1 & Starship by SpaceX. The amount of thrust produced are 10 million; 7.5 million, 8.8 million & 29 million pounds, respectively. |  Image 2: Juxtaposed images of New Glen by Blue Origin, Starship by Space X & the SLS. |
 Image 3: The SLS & Orion are built by different companies and countries. |  Image 4: The SLS components. The orange tank & RS-25 Rocket Engine is left over from the Space Shuttle. |
 Image 5: The Orion & ESM components. |  Image 6: The RS-25 Rocket engines. |
 Image 7: Comparison of the Capsule & Service Modules of Apollo & Orion. |  Image 8: The Apollo Command Module held three astronauts in cramped conditions while the Orion holds four with more room. |
 Image 9: Comparison of the Crew Dragon (SpaceX), Starliner (Boeing) and Orion (Lockheed Martin). Starliner had all sorts of problems where Orion has worked flawlessly. |  Image 10: The Artemis II Orion Spacecraft, named Integrity. |
 Image 11: Orion’s externally mounted cameras. |  Image 12: Schematic of the mission with one origin around the Earth, a simulated docking with the upper stage, then a Translunar Injection burn, followed by a coast past the Moon & return for splashdown. |
 Image 13: This is the course from Earth (in blue) to the Moon (in red). The color coding represents the velocity which decelerates as you approach the Moon (purple) & accelerates as you approach Earth (green). I created this x,y,z axis diagram using Python & the data presented by the NASA website. I also used click here |  Image 14: NASA portrait of the four astronauts. |
 Image 15: Reid Wiseman. |  Image 16: Victor Glover. |
 Image 17: Christina H Koch. |  Image 18: Jeremy Hansen, Canadian Space Agency. |
 Image 19: Artemis II crew flies to the launch site. |  Image 20: Closeup of the cockpit. |
 Image 21: The four astronauts alongside their backup crew. |  Image 22: The SLS in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). |
 Image 23: Another view. |  Image 24: SLS viewed from below. |
 Image 25: SLS viewed from below after the floors have been retracted. |  Image 26: Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) when empty. |
 Image 27: Launch Abort System. |  Image 28: Another view. |
 Image 29: The SLS rolling out of the VAB using the Crawler Transporter. |  Image 30: The SLS at the launch pad 39B. |
 Image 31: The SLS en-route to launch pad 39B. |  Image 32: One of thousands of workers that make everything work smoothly.. |
 Image 33: The crew in front of SLS. |  Image 34: Rise, the Integrity mascot. The top represents the Earth, the black visor represents the mystery of outer space, on the left is Apollo, on the right is Artemis, in the middle is the constellation of Orion, and on the bottom is the face of the Moon. |
 Image 35: SLS at night. |  Image 36: The sunset with the profile of launch pad 39B. |
 Image 37: Another view. |  Image 38: Another view. |
 Image 39: The command module with the Moon in the background. |  Image 40: The SLS seen with all the umbilical lines still attached. |
 Image 41: The gangway is still in place. |  Image 42: The astronauts on the gangway. |
 Image 43: Launch pad 39B at night. |  Image 44: The command module with the Moon. |
 Image 45: Closeup of the umbilical cord attached to the upper stage. |  Image 46: The SLS leaving the VAB. |
 Image 47: The SLS at the launch pad. |  Image 48: The crew are seated inside about 3 hours before launch. |
 Image 49: Closeup of Victor Glover. |  Image 50: Mission Control Center located at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. |
 Image 51: Mission Control workers. |  Image 52: Another view. |
 Image 53: The view from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory located at La Cañada Flintridge, California. |  Image 54: The JPL workers cheering the launch. |
 Image 55: Another view. |  Image 56: A group on the ground watching the launch. |
 Image 57: In stark contrast to the thousands of switches emblematic of the Apollo era, the control panel has LCD screens & fly-by-wire controls. |  Image 58: The instance of launch from cameras positioned at the base. |
 Image 59: Another view that shows the escape baskets seen in the background. |  Image 60: Another view. |
 Image 61: Paradox Adventure Photography |  Image 62: The exhaust was noted to be the brightest ever recorded. |
 Image 63: Some described the flame to be as bright as the sun. |  Image 64: You can see the smoke to the left which accumulates due to the deflection tunnel. |
 Image 65: Another view. |  Image 66: Another view. |
 Image 67: Another view. |  Image 68: The heavy soot is due to the solid state boosters on either side of the first stage. |
 Image 69: Telescopic view. |  Image 70: Another view. |
 Image 71: A couple of minutes into flight the rocket is traveling over 2000 mi/hr. |  Image 72: Telescopic view. |
 Image 73: The heavy wake of soot. |  Image 74: Extreme telescopic view. |
 Image 75: The instant the solid rocket boosters separate. |  Image 76: Moments later. Notice how clean the trail is of the first stage which uses liquid oxygen & hydrogen. |
 Image 77: Another view. |  Image 78: A time exposure taken by a photographer. |
 Image 79: Another artistic image. |  Image 80: An empty launchpad has to be refurbished for the next launch. |
 Image 81: Once in space the astronauts could see the Aurora Borealis. |  Image 82: The NASA website keeps track of Artemis II in real-time. |
 Image 83: One of the first view of Earth from low Earth orbit. |  Image 84: Christina looking out the window of the Earth. |
 Image 85: As a comparison, the Starliner built by Boeing is designed for low earth orbit, to service the ISS. It has had all sorts of issues with malfunction of thrusters to improper wiring, etc. |  Image 86: The Orion capsule is built by Lockheed Martin, and other than the toilet, functioned flawlessly. |
 Image 87: Juxtaposed image: The Earth photographed by Apollo 17 and Artemis II. |  Image 88: A camera mounted on the solar panel takes this external view of the Command Module with the Moon in the background. |
 Image 89: Another view. |  Image 90: The Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS)--why do they use such an awkward name for the second stage? Glover will maneuver at the targe on the side, & a second on inside the upper section. |
 Image 91: Docking maneuver using the top of the ICPS. |  Image 92: The Moon. |
 Image 93: Notice how small the Moon appears in this view from the vantage of Earth. |  Image 94: The Service Module, the Earth & the Moon in a single view. The Service Module is also called the European Service Module (ESM). |
 Image 95: The Earth at apogee. |  Image 96: Another view. |
 Image 97: The Moon, probably taken by a wide angle lens. |  Image 98: The NASA website keeps track of Artemis II. |
 Image 99: The view inside the command module. |  Image 100: Christina’s face is lit. |
 Image 101: Victor & Christina. |  Image 102: Jeremy, Christina & Victor. |
 Image 103: Victor & Christina. |  Image 104: Reid using a touch screen. |
 Image 105: Jeremy, Reid, Christina & Victor during their first media interview. |  Image 106: The astronauts sleep at night in floating sleeping bags. |
 Image 107: The Earth peeking through the port window. |  Image 108: The Earth backlit in outer space. |
 Image 109: The full Moon seen early on the Translunar course. This is the view that everyone sees from Earth. |  Image 110: The Earth seen as half lit & half in darkness. |
 Image 111: Another view. |  Image 112: The Earth completely backlit with an eclipsed sun. You can see Africa & Europe, Venus to the lower-right & the Aurora Borealis at either pole. Notice the rim of light that represents the thin atmosphere! |
 Image 113: Juxtaposed image of Earth taken from Apollo 17 & Artemis II, taken 54 years apart. |  Image 114: The Earth seen later in the course, appears quite small. Lovell would say that it is smaller than your thumb using an outstretched arm. |
 Image 115: The Moon through the port windows is growing in size. |  Image 116: The image of the Moon is not only large, but it is starting to rotate as Tycho crater moves from left to right. The far side is starting to show from the left. |
 Image 117: Earlier missions have taken images such as this in which the color has been enhanced. Former Apollo astronauts have described the true colors of the Moon are usually washed out by the brightness of the sun. |  Image 118: The Moon taken from the mounted camera outside the spaceship. Notice how large it has become! |
 Image 119: The NASA website shows Artemis II at 227,468 miles from earth, & the icon on the bottom shows that the course is located at the place where the incoming course & the outgoing course intersect, |  Image 120: Another monitor shows the location of Orion with the Moon displaced just to the left. In one more day they will nearly intersect as the Moon passes through the course of Orion. |
 Image 121: Another page taken from the NASA website. |  Image 122: Giordano Bruno Crater. |
 Image 123: The far side is heavily cratered. |  Image 124: Another view. |
 Image 125: Orientale Basin Crater is prominent in the lower right. |  Image 126: Detail of the Moon surface. |
 Image 127: The terminator line showing darkness to the left. |  Image 128: Illustration showing the near side with known landmarks and the far side as yet unnamed. |
 Image 129: A view from the mounted camera showing the command module, the backlit Moon & the Earth. Soon the Moon will eclipse the Earth has the capsule enters 40 minutes of radio silence. |  Image 130: Minutes later. |
 Image 131: Minutes later. |  Image 132: The Earth vanishes. |
 Image 133: Earthset. |  Image 134: Earthset moments later. |
 Image 135: Earthset at higher resolution. |  Image 136: Earthset even closer. |
 Image 137: Juxtaposed image: Earthrise from 1968 & Earthset 2026. |  Image 138: The sun seen at the edge of the moon horizon just before the eclipse. |
 Image 139: Solar eclipse of the Moon from space. Three planets are aligned along the ecliptic, from left to right: Saturn, Mars and Mercury. |  Image 140: The same image with labels. |
 Image 141: A view of the solar eclipse taken from an externally mounted camera. |  Image 142: Another view of the solar eclipse. |
 Image 143: The Earthrise when radio communication is re-established after 40 minutes. |  Image 144: The near side is on top with the dark Mares & the far side is on the bottom with the lighter heavily cratered surface. Artemis II is 4,067 miles above the Moon in this shot. |
 Image 145: Another view. |  Image 146: Another view. |
 Image 147: Similar view, color corrected. |  Image 148: The Moon is huge in this view from the mounted camera. |
 Image 149: Apollo Service Module mission in comparison. |  Image 150: Victor looking out the port window. |
 Image 151: Comparison of the course taken by Apollo 8 & Artemis II. Apollo 8 passed closer & made 10 orbits around the Moon while Artemis II makes a flyby loop. |  Image 152: Portrait in space: Victor, Christina, Jeremy & Reid--and Joy, of course! |
 Image 153: The crew celebrates as the make history becoming the only humans to travel this far from Earth. |  Image 154: Group hug, with victor in the middle. |
 Image 155: Reid Wiseman named a crater Carroll, after his wife who died five years ago from cancer. |  Image 156: The location of Carroll Crater. |
 Image 157: Integrity also has a crater named after it. |  Image 158: More color corrected images of the Moon. |
 Image 159: A middle view. |  Image 160: A view to the right. |
 Image 161: Moon, color corrected. |  Image 162: Moon, color corrected all together. |
 Image 163: Moon as seen currently from Earth. |  Image 164: Moon, near side as seen from Earth, labeled. |
 Image 165: Moon, near side as seen from Earth |  Image 166: Moon, far side as photographed from lunar probes. |
 Image 167: Juxtaposed image of the near Moon and far Moon. |  Image 168: Dashboard as seen by the Astronauts. |
 Image 169: Milky Way seen from space. |  Image 170: New Conference from space. |
 Image 171: An image taken from the externally mounted camera. In the portal you can just make out the face of Christina. |  Image 172: The remaining schedule: after the Moon Flyby, there are three more days until splashdown. |
 Image 173: Real-Time tracking at 151,627 miles from Earth; about half-way home. |  Image 174: Another tracking view. |
 Image 175: The Moon is getting smaller. |  Image 176: The Earth is growing in size. |
 Image 177: In the morning around 11:00 AM the capsule is 65,439 mile from Earth traveling at 1.38 mi/s, or 4,968 mph (and accelerating). |  Image 178: NASA update shows the location of the Orion capsule. |
 Image 179: Another view, returning home! |  Image 180: The size of the Earth grows considerably. |
 Image 181: The Earth continues to grow in size. |  Image 182: The dashboard onboard Artemis II, Integrity. |
 Image 183: Heatshield Construction: the capsule is on top and the plasma layer is on the bottom. The Avcoat material is ablative and sloughs off slowly from the porous char to the virgin material. Heat is transferred both down from the pyrolysis zone and upward from the virgin material. Data show that the heat inside the Orion capsule remained stable and comfortable. |  Image 184: The Orion heatshield after being installed. |
 Image 185: The Orion heatshield from Artemis I in 2022 which shows the direction of the plasma flow from right to left. |  Image 186: Sample of Avcoat before and after testing. |
 Image 187: The angle of entry has to be just right. Overshoot will bounce the capsule back into space and the undershoot will cause too steep an angle that would increase the heating on the heat shield. |  Image 188: Skip re-entry process. |
 Image 189: Parachute Sequence. |  Image 190: Location of splashdown. Calculations have Orion traveling at 23,840 mph, slightly slower than the speed record set by Apollo 10 when it entered the atmosphere at 24,816 mph. |
 Image 191: Capsule Communications (CAPCOM) talking to the astronauts before losing radio contact. |  Image 192: Mission Control Center tracking Orion over Australia moving across the Pacific Ocean. |
 Image 193: Orion capsule just before separation from the European Service Module. |  Image 194: At the moment of separation. |
 Image 195: Re-entry as seen on the International Space Station (ISS). |  Image 196: Another view. |
 Image 197: The view of the Earth outside the window during re-entry. To see the animated image, click here |  Image 198: The first infrared image of the capsule after entering the atmosphere. |
 Image 199: The two drogue parachutes open. |  Image 200: Next, the three main parachutes open (three pilot parachutes are above that pull out these chutes). |
 Image 201: The main parachutes are fully open. |  Image 202: Infrared view of the main parachutes. |
 Image 203: Moments before splashdown. |  Image 204: The instant of splashdown: the capsule has traveled a total of 695,081 miles. |
 Image 205: The parachutes deflate. |  Image 206: The lines are cut. |
 Image 207: The main shoots at several thousand feet. |  Image 208: Splashdown as viewed from the Navy Ship. |
 Image 209: Five balloons inflate to assure that the capsule remains upright. Notice how the paint has been excoriated from the plasma of re-entry. |  Image 210: A closeup view taken probably by a hovering helicopter. |
 Image 211: The hatch is open. |  Image 212: Two astronauts are sitting on the raft and a third (Victor Glover) exits the capsule. |
 Image 213: All four astronauts are accounted for. |  Image 214: The crew after the hatch is open and Navy seals have entered the cabin. |
 Image 215: Christina, Victor, Jeremy & Reid. |  Image 216: One of four helicopters begin to lift the astronauts by harness one after another. |
 Image 217: An astronaut being lifted. |  Image 218: An astronaut entering the helicopter. |
 Image 219: Victor & Christina arrive by helicopter. |  Image 220: Closeup. |
 Image 221: Reid & Jeremy. |  Image 222: The Orion capsule arrives at the ship. |
 Image 223: After sunset the capsule is still making progress to be hoisted into the ship. |  Image 224: Closer view. |
 Image 225: Notice the peeling silver-yellow tape. |  Image 226: The crew reunited with their capsule. |
 Image 227: A backlit image of Orion being delivered. |  Image 228: Workers securing the Orion capsule. |
 Image 229: Reid next to the capsule. Notice the pealing of the silver tape. |  Image 230: Christina hugs the capsule that brought her home. |
 Image 231: The heatshield was photographed under water by a Navy Seal. |  Image 232: The USS John P Murtha returns to San Diego with Orion on board. |
 Image 233: Inside the stern is the Orion capsule. |  Image 234: Reid Wiseman arriving on the mainland. |
 Image 235: Victor Glover & Christina Koch. |  Image 236: Victor Glover. |
 Image 237: Jeremy Hansen. |  Image 238: The Orion capsule inspires this sand castle. |