
ALT Interior view of NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building showing multiple levels of steel platforms, walkways, and support structures surrounding the Space Launch System core stage and solid rocket booster segments. Bright work lights illuminate the large white booster sections and dense network of pipes, beams, and scaffolding as teams prepare hardware for upcoming Artemis III operations. Credit: NASA/Cory S. Huston

ALT Four small white sample cups on a tray, each holding a different portion of prepared food. The foods vary in color and texture, including a green‑flecked mixture, a golden paste, a white grain-like sample, and a chunkier mixture with darker pieces. The Artemis III crew tasted various food items on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, at NASA’s Space Food Systems Laboratory, to determine what they’ll eat on their mission in low Earth orbit. Credit: NASA/Helen Arase Vargas

ALT The Artemis III astronauts pose for a group photo on the front porch before conducting hoist training with U.S. Navy Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group (EODGRU) 1 in San Diego, California, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. Credit: US Navy/2nd Class August Clawson

ALT A square blue image, with a little over half of Earth taking up most of the image. Earth looks like how we see the Moon when it is waxing or waning at just over a half-Moon. Because this is an ultraviolet image, Earth does not appear in its usual colours, but is light blue with a white ring. This ring is about a third of the size of the face of Earth that we see, and is quite swirly, like clouds or dye being mixed with water. The background of the image is dark blue, with some tiny white dots: these are stars.

ALT During a lunar flyby observation period, the Artemis II crew captures craters dotting the surface of the Moon, revealing its rugged, ancient surface. This scarred landscape reflects a long history of cosmic collisions. Credit: NASA

ALT This photo of a crescent Moon and crescent Earth was taken by an Artemis II astronaut during lunar flyby on flight day 6. This captures one of the final moments before their loss of signal with Earth as the Orion spacecraft flew around the far side of the Moon, reemerging and regaining contact approximately 40 minutes later. Credit: NASA

ALT Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:37 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the Moon. A muted blue Earth with bright white clouds sets behind the cratered lunar surface. The dark portion of Earth is in nighttime. Credit: NASA

ALT Echoing the iconic Earthrise photo captured by the Apollo 8 astronauts in 1968, during the lunar flyby, the Artemis II crew captured a shot of Earthset as they passed behind the Moon’s far side. It is one of many photos taken during the seven-hour lunar flyby by the Artemis II crew on the Orion spacecraft. Credit: NASA

ALT This composite image of the Crab Nebula combines X-ray and infrared light from NASA’s Chandra and Webb telescopes. The nebula is an oval with a complex interior structure against a black background. On its exterior are curtains of glowing red and orange fluffy material. Its interior shell has large-scale loops of mottled filaments of yellow-white and green, studded with clumps and knots. Nestled within is a blue and purple shape resembling a spinning toy top made of white wispy clouds, resting on its side. In the center is a ball of brilliant white light, which is the neutron star. It is the remnant of the star that exploded to create this nebula. From the bottom of the neutron star, a jet of matter is rushing downward, like scalding hot steam being released from a valve. The image is watermarked “Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Infrared: NASA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major.”

ALT A spiral galaxy in pinks and purples, shown at an angle, like a tipped dinner plate facing our upper left. From this vantage point, the spiraling arms look thick and frothy, resembling the top of a swirled strawberry milkshake. Clouds of royal blue appear to drift from the brilliant golden white core. These are superheated shock waves created by central black hole jets.






































