The Powerhouse of the Orion Spacecraft
NASA’s Orion Spacecraft
Orion in Flight
@EverythingScience
NASA’s Orion spacecraft pictured from one of the cameras mounted on its solar array wings. The service module is prominently featured in this image showing a portion of the orbital maneuvering system engine and three of eight auxiliary thrusters. Also pictured is one of the four solar array wings. Each of Orion’s four solar array wings are made of three panels that provide enough electricity to power two three-bedroom homes.
Source: NASA
NASA’s Orion Spacecraft
NASA’s Orion spacecraft is pictured here from one of the cameras mounted on its solar array wings. At the time this photo was taken at 8:58 a.m. ET, the Artemis II crew was in a sleep period ahead of beginning their seventh day into the mission.
Source: NASA
Orion in Flight
NASA’s Orion spacecraft is pictured here from one of the cameras mounted on its solar array wings. At the time this photo was taken at 9:03 a.m. ET, the Artemis II crew was in a sleep period ahead of beginning their seventh day into the mission.
Source: NASA
@EverythingScience
🔥2
Moon Joy
Four Thumbs Up
Artemis II Crew "Rise-ing" To the Occasion
@EverythingScience
The Artemis II crew – (clockwise from left) Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover – take time out for a group hug inside the Orion spacecraft on their way home. Following a swing around the far side of the Moon on April 6, 2026, the crew exited the lunar sphere of influence (the point at which the Moon's gravity has a stronger pull on Orion than the Earth's) on April 7, and are headed back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 10. The crew was selected in April 2023, and have been training together for their mission for the past three years.
Source: NASA
Four Thumbs Up
The Artemis II crew – (from left) Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Pilot Victor Glover, and Commander Reid Wiseman – pause for a group photo inside the Orion spacecraft on their way home. Following a swing around the far side of the Moon on April 6, 2026, the crew exited the lunar sphere of influence (the point at which the Moon's gravity has a stronger pull on Orion than the Earth's) on April 7, and are headed back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 10.
Source: NASA
Artemis II Crew "Rise-ing" To the Occasion
The Artemis II crew – (clockwise from left) Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover – pause for a group photo with their zero gravity indicator "Rise," inside the Orion spacecraft on their way home. Following a swing around the far side of the Moon on April 6, 2026, the crew exited the lunar sphere of influence (the point at which the Moon's gravity has a stronger pull on Orion than the Earth's) on April 7, and are headed back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 10.
Source: NASA
@EverythingScience
❤2
❤3❤🔥1
EverythingScience
Here is a labelled image so you can see the craters more clearly! Source: @NASAArtemis @EverythingScience
A Crater of Remembrance
Source: NASA
@EverythingScience
The small, bright spot in the center of the image is the crater that the Artemis II crew have proposed as Carroll, after Commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife. About 3.5 miles across (5.6 km in diameter), the proposed Carroll crater is on the nearside of the lunar surface on the western edge and would be visible from Earth with powerful telescopes.
Source: NASA
@EverythingScience
❤1
A Room With a View
Sill Life
A Moodier Moon
@EverythingScience
A view from the window of the Orion spacecraft approximately 9 minutes before Earthset during the Artemis II lunar flyby on April 6, 2026.
Source: NASA
Sill Life
The Moon seen peeking above the window sill of the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II lunar flyby on April 6, 2026. The Artemis II crew spent about 7 hours at the Orion windows during the flyby, taking photos and recording observations on the Moon to share with scientists on the ground.
Source: NASA
A Moodier Moon
A shot from early in the Artemis II lunar flyby, taken with a smaller aperture setting, shows a moodier version of the Moon than some of the other flyby images with more typical lighting settings. The four crew members spent about 7 hours photographing and recording observations of the Moon as they flew around the far side on April 6, 2026.
Source: NASA
@EverythingScience
❤3
❤2❤🔥1🔥1
The Edge of Darkness
Source: NASA
@EverythingScience
As the Artemis II crew flew over the terminator, the astronauts described this boundary between day and night as "anything but a straight line." Crater rims along the terminator stand out as "islands" in the night. Giant chains of craters emanating from the 3.7-billion-year-old Orientale basin can be seen scouring the surface, stretching almost to the terminator. This tells a geologic story: these crater chains produced by the Orientale impact event mar the surface of the relatively flat Hertzsprung Basin (center of this image), which means that Hertzsprung Basin must be even older than Orientale!
Source: NASA
@EverythingScience
❤2
A Crew Selfie with Rise in Orion
Christina Koch and Reid Wiseman Take a Selfie in Orion
Jeremy Hansen Takes a Selfie in Orion
@EverythingScience
Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch is seen through a window of the Orion spacecraft while on her way to the Moon. This selfie-style photo was taken using a camera on the end of one of Orion's solar array wings on flight day 4 of the approximately 10-day test flight, when Orion was more than halfway to the Moon. Koch is holding "Rise", the zero gravity indicator that launched with the crew after being selected from more than 2,600 original designs that were submitted from countries around the world. A zero gravity indicator is a small plush item that typically rides with a crew to visually indicate when they are in space. “Rise” was inspired by the iconic Earthrise moment from the Apollo 8 mission.
Source: NASA
Christina Koch and Reid Wiseman Take a Selfie in Orion
Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch (center) and Commander Reid Wiseman (top) are seen through windows of the Orion spacecraft while on their way to the Moon. This selfie-style photo was taken using a camera on the end of one of Orion's solar array wings on flight day 4 of the approximately 10-day test flight, when Orion was more than halfway to the Moon.
Source: NASA
Jeremy Hansen Takes a Selfie in Orion
Artemis II Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen is seen through a window of the Orion spacecraft while on his way to the Moon. This selfie-style photo was taken using a camera on the end of one of Orion's solar array wings on flight day 4 of the approximately 10-day test flight, when Orion was more than halfway to the Moon.
Source: NASA
@EverythingScience
❤1
Media is too big
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
Artemis II Crew News Conference
Source: NASA
@EverythingScience
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen spoke with media to discuss their mission so far. The conversation took place on Wednesday, April 8, with the Artemis II crew aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft making their way back to Earth.
NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35p.m. EDT on April 1, sending the four astronauts on a planned 10-day test flight around the Moon and back.
Source: NASA
@EverythingScience
❤1