Take a look at this breathtaking image of Earth as the Artemis II crew approaches a new milestone.

      NASA has released a breathtaking image captured by the Artemis II mission crew as they journey toward the moon. The photograph depicts a small Earth, primarily shrouded in darkness, encircled by the vast blackness of space.

      This image was taken on the fourth day of the Artemis II mission, which involves four astronauts flying around the moon before heading back to Earth. On Monday, crew members — NASA’s Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch, along with Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency — will orbit our closest celestial neighbor, setting a new flight record in the process.

      “Here’s one last look at Earth before we reach the moon,” NASA commented in a post on X sharing the remarkable image.

      “This view of Earth was captured on April 5, the fourth day of the Artemis II mission, from inside the Orion spacecraft. The astronauts will attain their closest approach to the moon tomorrow, April 6.”

      As the Orion spacecraft is anticipated to come within about 4,070 miles of the moon, the astronauts will witness the intricately cratered and rough surface like never before in over fifty years.

      Additionally, on Monday afternoon, just before 2 p.m. ET, the Artemis II crew will break the record for the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth, previously set by Apollo 13 in 1970 at 248,655 miles. Approximately five hours later, they are expected to reach a new record distance of 252,760 miles from our planet.

      Launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1, this 10-day mission has so far proceeded largely as planned. However, there has been an issue with the onboard toilet, which has been encountering intermittent malfunctions during the flight.

      Engineers suspect that ice may be obstructing a pipe that releases the astronauts’ urine into space, necessitating the use of special bags to collect liquid waste for the time being. Fortunately, the toilet remains functional for solid waste, which is processed differently.

      Artemis II is the first crewed flight of the Orion spacecraft and the second overall flight of Orion. The mission aims to test the spacecraft’s systems ahead of more complex missions like Artemis IV, which will seek to return humans to the lunar surface after over fifty years.

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      Why are astronauts using aging technology? NASA spaceflight expert explains.

      While it may initially seem peculiar for astronauts to utilize what appears to be “old tech” in space, there is a logical explanation. It is not because NASA is stuck in the past. NASA spaceflight expert Jason Hutt recently clarified why missions like Artemis continue to rely on older hardware, including vintage Windows tablets.

      Artemis II moon crew has just entered its most critical phase yet.

      Following a successful launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA’s Artemis II crew began their mission well as their Orion spacecraft achieved Earth orbit on Wednesday. After spending a day assessing the spacecraft’s systems, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, alongside CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, have executed a crucial burn that will guide them toward a close encounter with the moon, approximately 250,000 miles away — the first since Apollo 17 in 1972. This mission also marks the first lunar journey with a woman, a person of color, and a non-U.S. astronaut on the crew.

      The Artemis II moon mission is significant, and so is the astronauts’ toilet.

      The Artemis II mission is historic as NASA's first crewed journey around the moon in over fifty years. Amid all the monumental lunar aspirations, there is a notable advancement with astronauts finally having a toilet that doesn’t present a hassle. Though it may not be the most glamorous aspect of the mission, it remains an important one. In contrast, Apollo astronauts previously used a waste system comprising plastic bags and funnels, which NASA later described as "objectionable" and "distasteful."