NASA's Orion Optical Navigation Camera Seized New Moon Images Showing Off Edge of Lunar Disk [Look]

On Monday (November 28, 2022), NASA's Orion spacecraft returned live footage of the Earth's and the Moon's proximity to each other, followed by a magnificent glimpse of the Moon shadowing the Earth.

Orion has just accomplished half of its missions and has traveled as far away from Earth as it will ever go. And in the previous two weeks, it has provided us with breathtaking views of the Moon, both up close and of the entire Moon-Earth system. NASA has released several of these images on its Flickr website.

The footage was captured by one of the lenses positioned on the tip of one of Orion's solar arrays when it went approximately 64,000 km (39,767 miles) further than the Moon, or around 431,300 km (268,000 miles) far from Earth. The spaceship is traveling at 1,750 miles per hour, as reported by UniverseToday.

Seizing The Moon Images

Every one of Orion's four solar array wingtips does have a commercial off-the-shelf video camera at the apex which has been constantly modified for space use space, providing a view of the spacecraft exterior, as mentioned by David Melendrez, imagery integration lead for the Orion Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The cameras installed on the photovoltaic arrays captured several of the photographs. This enables the mission team to assess the spacecraft's health. This mission, called Artemis I, is uncrewed. It also serves as a testing ground for the Orion spacecraft to ensure that people will be safe once aboard.

Orion also utilizes its Optical Navigation Camera to photograph the Moon's surface. This gadget will be utilized in an effort to enhance spaceship orientation during crewed flights. It is now being tested by photographing the Earth as well as Moon in various lighting situations and at various distances.

(Photo : NASA)
A black-and-white image of Earth captured by Orion’s optical navigation camera. NASA’s Orion Spacecraft seized new footage of the moon showing off the edge of the lunar disk.

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Prior and Upcoming Artemis Missions

The data may be irrelevant to normal citizens, but one might appreciate the stunning images of the Moon acquired by the device. The expedition will last more than 25 days. Orion is anticipated to crash land in the Pacific Waters off the coast of San Diego on December 11 around 12:40 p.m. EST. So far, the mission has been incredibly successful, and if all goes well, this will be the first stage in a long-term Artemis program.

Artemis marks the beginning of the new age of human exploration. NASA, in collaboration with corporate and international partners, will build a long-term presence on the Moon in order to prepare for Mars missions, as per the space agency.

Artemis 1 is only the start. The Artemis 2 voyage, tentatively slated for 2024, will follow a similar trajectory but will carry human passengers. The Artemis 3 mission, scheduled targeting 2025 (though the timeline is most likely to change), will take humans to the surface of the moon for the first time in 1972, including another woman as well as the first person of color. These missions will build the groundwork for future human Mars exploration.