Artemis II astronauts have passed the halfway point between Earth and the moon. They are heading towards a planned lunar flyby. NASA has shared the first images of Earth taken from inside the Orion spacecraft.
The astronauts went to sleep early Sunday after their fourth day of a 10-day mission. They were about 322,000 kilometers (200,000 miles) from Earth. They were also 132,000 kilometers (82,000 miles) from the moon, according to NASA.
NASA released photos from the capsule. One shows a full view of Earth as a glowing orb with deep blue oceans and swirling clouds.
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Start Your News DetoxJourney to the Moon
The four-person crew will swing around the far side of the moon early this week. This maneuver has not been tried in over 50 years.
The next big step is expected overnight from Sunday into Monday US time. The crew will enter the "lunar sphere of influence." This is where the moon's gravity pulls the spacecraft more strongly than Earth's.
If everything goes as planned, Orion's trip around the moon could take the astronauts farther from Earth than any human before.
Artemis II is part of NASA's plan to return to the moon regularly. The goal is to build a permanent base there. This base could then be used as a launchpad for exploring deeper into space.
