Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2026 April 2
   [2]A towering rocket ignites and lifts off from acoastal launch pad at
   dusk, its bright plume of fire and exhaust illuminating thick clouds of
                     smoke spreading accross the ground.

                       Liftoff! Returning to the Moon
   Image Credit & Copyright: [3]NASA/Bill Ingalls; Text: [4]Ogetay Kayali
                                  ([5]MTU)

   Explanation: We are one [6]small step closer to returning to the Moon.
   A new chapter in human exploration began yesterday when NASA's
   [7]Artemis II launched aboard the [8]Space Launch System (SLS) from
   [9]Kennedy Space Center. Carrying [10]four astronauts, the Orion
   spacecraft's planned lunar flyby will be the first in over half a
   century. This historic test flight, echoing the legacy of [11]Apollo
   while pushing beyond it, will carry its crew farther from Earth than
   any humans [12]since 1972, looping around the Moon before returning
   home. During the approximately ten-day journey, Orion's systems--from
   life support to navigation--will be tested in deep space, while
   astronauts observe the lunar surface, including shadowed regions of the
   far side rarely seen with such perspective. After looping around the
   Moon, the astronauts will return to Earth, ending their journey with a
   [13]Pacific Ocean splashdown.

                    Tomorrow's picture: Warping Spacetime
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     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([28]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [29]Specific rights apply.
            [30]NASA Web Privacy, [31]Accessibility, [32]Notices;
                A service of: [33]ASD at [34]NASA / [35]GSFC,
                         [36]NASA Science Activation
                           & [37]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2604/nasa_billingalls.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/liftoff-nasa-launches-astronauts-on-historic-artemis-moon-mission/
   4. https://www.ogetay.com/
   5. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/
   6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_small_step
   7. https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/
   8. https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/space-launch-system/
   9. https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/
  10. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/our-artemis-crew/
  11. https://www.nasa.gov/the-apollo-program/
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Cernan
  13. https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/apollo-12-splashdown/
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260401.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  20. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  23. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260402
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260403.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  33. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/
  35. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  36. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  37. http://www.mtu.edu/