HOUSTON: The Artemis II astronauts were jetting towards Earth and sharing their lunar flyby souvenirs Tuesday, delighting colleagues both at home and in space with tales of their historic journey.
Of note was their stunning shot of an Earthset, the moment when Earth drops below the rugged lunar horizon.
The image was a deliberate nod to the iconic Earthrise image taken by an Apollo 8 astronaut in 1968, a shot that helped capture the public’s imagination during the first space mission to carry humans around the Moon.
The modern version released by NASA pairs the delicate, watery planet Earth with the harsh curve of the Moon, separated by black space.
“First photo from the far side of the Moon,” the White House said, reposting the image.
The astronauts were busy Tuesday afternoon debriefing lunar scientists in Houston’s mission control about what they had witnessed during their nearly seven-hour lunar observation period.







