CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – As the Orion capsule swung around the far side of the moon, coming within just 5,000 miles of the surface, the Artemis II crew had a singular focus for nearly three hours: take as many pictures as possible.
Before launch, that mission was already well underway. Astronauts practiced with poster boards and even an inflatable moon, preparing to capture more than 10,000 images in a short window of time. It was all about precision, timing, and getting the shot.
What may come as a surprise is the camera they’re relying on to document this historic mission. It’s not the latest model. Instead, astronauts are using a Nikon D5, a professional-grade camera released in 2016.
According to Joey Manna, a professional photographer and New 6 creative services manager, that choice makes sense.
He explains that while the camera may be nearly a decade old, its capabilities still hold up. In fact, he says the difference between newer models often isn’t as significant as people think, especially when it comes to overall image quality.
That perspective also helps explain why some recent images from the mission may not appear as sharp as iconic photos from the past, like the famous 1972 “Blue Marble” image of Earth. At first glance, the newer image can look grainier.
But Manna says that comparison isn’t exactly fair.
The key difference comes down to lighting. The 1972 photo was taken with the sun fully illuminating Earth. The newer image captures the planet’s darker side, requiring astronauts to increase camera sensitivity, or ISO. That adjustment introduces more grain and visual noise-an unavoidable tradeoff when shooting in low light.
There’s another factor at play, too. While astronauts are highly trained for space travel, they’re not professional photographers. On Earth, most people rely on smartphones that automatically adjust settings to produce a polished image. In space, astronauts must make those adjustments manually, without the convenience of automated tools.
Even so, the mission’s goal remains straightforward, which is to tell a story through images.
And what they’re capturing is remarkable, rare views of the moon’s far side, a perspective never visible from Earth and still largely unexplored through photography.
Despite the challenges, the images coming back are more than just pictures. They’re a glimpse into a part of space few humans have ever seen, captured in real time, from a spacecraft circling the moon.