The pink moon sets behind NASA’s Artemis 1 Space Launch System rocket on Saturday, April 16, 2022. (Credit image: Michael Seeley / We Report Space) A powerful new photo shows NASA’s Artemis 1 rocket on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with its destination: the moon shining in pink. Photographer Michael Seeley captured the image of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket (with the Orion spacecraft on top) on Saturday (April 16th) from a boat off Florida in the Atlantic Ocean, several miles from the launch pad. he told Space.com in an email. Seeley was lucky to see the rocket on the pillow as he was about to return to a processing facility due to a series of technical errors during the test. “The images were captured with a fairly large telephoto lens, 700mm, from a boat in the Atlantic. We are about seven miles off the coast and the water was not at all calm, with swelling of two to four feet,” he said. Mega Moon rocket, meet your destination: The “Full Pink Moon” is behind the LC-39A and the SLS rocket at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, which we saw on Saturday morning. pic.twitter.com/Q80NSs9trVA April 16, 2022 See more Seeley co-founded We Report Space and occasionally contributes to National Geographic. However, he shared that obtaining the image was not an easy task. “Because I was shooting with a telephoto lens,” said Seeley, “my main thought was to try to keep the rocket in the frame as they pushed me. Standing was almost impossible. Technically and physically, it was one of the most demanding photos that I have pulled “. But while conditions were difficult, Seeley said seeing the moon move toward the horizon behind the Launch Pad 39B “was truly magical.” “It was also difficult,” Seeley added, “to wrap my head around the fact that I’m looking at something very close – the Orion spacecraft – that will one day travel to the moon, a quarter of a million miles behind it. “It’s really shocking.” Artemis 1’s Space Launch System was trying to complete a “wet dress rehearsal” that started on April 1, but after several failed power attempts, the team decided to drop the stack from Pad 39B and return to the KSC Vehicle Assembly Building. to replace a defective valve and treat a leaking umbilicus. Once these issues are addressed and Artemis 1 completes the critical test, it will be cleared for a scheduled mission to the moon later this year. At the top of the rocket will be an Orion spaceship full of experiments and mannequins. If all goes well, NASA will fly the first astronauts with an SLS in 2024 for Artemis 2, which will also revolve around the moon. The Artemis 3 crew will then have to send astronauts to the lunar south pole no earlier than 2025, NASA said. If you want to take a good photo of a future full moon, take a look at our guide on how to photograph the moon. Our overview of the best astrophotography cameras and the best astrophotography lenses can help you get started. And if you just want to observe the moon, our guides to the best telescopes and binoculars can help you find the equipment you need. Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
