Thinking of You, Earth

https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/thinking-of-you-earth/ On April 4, 2026, NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft’s main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the Moon.

Earthset

https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/earthset/ The Artemis II crew captured this view of Earth setting on April 6, 2026, as they flew around the Moon. As the astronauts flew over the Moon’s far side, the crew photographed and described terrain features including impact craters, ancient lava flows, and surface cracks and ridges formed as the Moon slowly evolved over time. They also noted differences in color, brightness and texture, which provide clues that help scientists understand the composition and history of the lunar surface.

New Perspective of Home

https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/new-perspective-of-home/ Seen during Artemis II’s lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, the Moon and Earth align in the same frame, each partially illuminated by the Sun. The Moon’s surface appears in sharp detail in the foreground, while Earth sits much farther away, smaller and softly lit in the background. A faint reflection in the spacecraft window is also visible, subtly overlaying the scene. Though their phases differ, both are shaped by the same sunlight, revealing the geometry of the Sun–Earth–Moon system from deep space.

At the Edge of Light

https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/at-the-edge-of-light/

NASA Heliophysics Spacecraft Witness Comet’s Demise

https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/the-sun-spot/2026/04/16/nasa-heliophysics-spacecraft-witness-comets-demise/ On April 4, comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) plunged toward the Sun — flying about twice as far from our star as the Moon is from Earth.

NASA CubeSats Advance Space Weather, Tech Research

https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/smallsatellites/2026/04/17/nasa-cubesats-advance-space-weather-tech-research/ Several NASA science and technology payloads launched in the early morning hours on March 30 to test new thermal protection methods, improve in‑space communications, and study Earth’s atmosphere, advancing future innovation and exploration.

NASA Shuts Off Instrument on Voyager 1 to Keep Spacecraft Operating

https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/voyager/2026/04/17/nasa-shuts-off-instrument-on-voyager-1-to-keep-spacecraft-operating/ On April 17, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California sent commands to shut down an instrument aboard Voyager 1 called the Low-energy Charged Particles experiment, or LECP. The nuclear-powered spacecraft is running low on power, and turning off the LECP is considered the best way to keep humanity’s first interstellar explorer going.