Artemis II crew describe ‘overwhelming’ emotions after soaring past the moon

The so-called Earthset as seen from the Orion spacecraft on Monday. Photograph: Nasa/AFP/Getty Images

Nasa’s Artemis II astronauts have described the powerful emotion they felt while soaring over the moon as they photographed impact craters, cracks and ridges and began their long journey home.

Among the eagerly awaited images captured by the crew, who worked in pairs at the Orion capsule windows, are those of the Earth rising from behind the moon, a solar eclipse and parts of the 590-mile (950km) wide Orientale impact basin that have never been observed with the naked eye.