Artemis II mission commander Reid Wiseman captured a unique video of Earth setting behind the Moon from lunar orbit using a standard smartphone through the Orion spacecraft’s docking hatch window.
The footage, recorded during the mission’s transit around the Moon in April 2024, shows Earth slowly disappearing behind the lunar horizon — a phenomenon Wiseman described as a once-in-a-lifetime view comparable to watching a sunset from the most remote point in space.
Wiseman used an 8x digital zoom on the smartphone, which he said matched the naked-eye view from orbit, and shared the unedited clip publicly without cropping or post-processing.
The video includes audio of crew exclamations and the shutter clicks of a professional Nikon camera with a 400mm lens used by crew member Christina Koch for scientific and documentary photography.
Wiseman, Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen comprised the Artemis II crew, with Glover and Hansen observing the Moon from a different hatch window while Wiseman recorded the Earthset.
NASA’s Artemis II mission, launched in November 2024, was the first crewed flight to travel beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17, testing Orion’s systems ahead of a planned lunar landing.
The mission lasted 10 days, completing a lunar flyby at a distance of approximately 80 miles from the Moon’s surface before returning to Earth.
How the Earthset video was captured
Wiseman recorded the Earthset using a smartphone provided before launch, pointing it through the docking hatch’s plexiglass window during orbital night.
He stabilized the device manually and used 8x zoom to frame Earth as it approached the lunar limb, relying on the spacecraft’s attitude control to maintain orientation.
The unedited nature of the footage was emphasized by Wiseman to ensure authenticity, matching what the human eye would see from that vantage point.
Koch’s concurrent still photography with the Nikon aimed to support geological and atmospheric science objectives, including lunar terrain mapping and Earthshine analysis.
Why the footage matters for space exploration
The video provides a rare, high-fidelity visual reference for public engagement and astronaut training, illustrating the scale and isolation of deep spaceflight.
Such imagery helps validate simulation models used in Orion’s navigation and thermal systems, which rely on accurate Earth-Moon horizon data.
NASA may use similar crew-captured moments in future Artemis missions to document operational experiences without adding dedicated equipment.
What equipment was used to record the Earthset?
Reid Wiseman used a standard smartphone with 8x digital zoom, provided before the Artemis II launch, to record the video through Orion’s docking hatch window.
Christina Koch used a professional Nikon camera with a 400mm lens to capture still images during the same event.
Was the video edited or enhanced?
No, Wiseman confirmed the footage was published without editing, cropping, or enhancement to preserve its authenticity as a naked-eye equivalent view from orbit.