This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: On April 1, 2026, the crew of the Artemis II mission launched into space atop NASA's Space Launch System (SLS). Roughly 3 1/2 hours after launch, the rocket's upper stage separated from the Orion spacecraft (Integrity), and astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen began their nearly 10-day journey around the moon.
As the second mission in the Artemis program, the astronauts' flight was another crucial step toward returning astronauts to the moon for the first time since the Apollo era. In addition, the Artemis II flight provided an opportunity for observation, science and data gathering that has not existed since the Apollo era. During the flight, the astronauts studied the far side's geology, witnessed nighttime impacts on the surface and watched Earth and the sun rise from the far side of the moon.
And now, with the mission data processed, NASA has released "Artemis II: Sights & Sounds of Science," a field guide to the Artemis II Preliminary Lunar Science Report. The report reveals much about what the crew of four witnessed and documented during their nine days, one hour and 32 minutes in space. As the report summarizes: "Through photographs, spoken observations, drawings and annotations, the Artemis II crew created a unique scientific record—one that is now available to the science community and the public for further study.
Explore highlights here, and find the full suite of reports and select data resources at the bottom of the page." Who can forget the lovely picture the Artemis II astronauts took of planet Earth on day 2 of the mission? But for mission scientists, it was more than a pretty picture; it captured active weather systems, auroras at both poles, distinct atmospheric layers, a Saharan dust plume, zodiacal light and city lights on the surface. While Earth-observation satellites are crucial to science, they observe Earth in strips rather than getting a holistic view.
What was especially intriguing about the picture is that the moon's light, not sunlight, was illuminating Earth's face. Said mission specialist Koch: "I feel like right now the moon is a light sponge and the Earth is a light mirror. The Earth has not quite looked like the pictures.
You really can't make out the deep royal blue. It's just a bright, bright, light blue. And then the continents are like a dark, dark bluish green.
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