WASHINGTON — Following a successful blast off from Earth, the Artemis II crew shared the first image of Earth from the Orion spacecraft. NASA released the image early Thursday, the second day of the 10-day trip around the moon before making their way back to Earth. Artemis II 1st image of Earth from Orion spacecraft: Artemis II launched on Wednesday from the same Florida launch site that sent Apollo’s explorers to the moon so long ago. The handful still alive cheered this next generation’s grand adventure as the Space Launch System rocket thundered into the early evening sky, a nearly full moon beckoning some 248,000 miles away. Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman led the charge into space with “Let’s go to the moon!” accompanied by pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen. It was the most diverse lunar crew ever with the first woman, person of color and non-U.S. citizen riding in NASA’s new Orion capsule. The 32-story rocket rose from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center where tens of thousands gathered to witness the dawn of this new era. Crowds also jammed the surrounding roads and beaches, reminiscent of the Apollo moonshots in the 1960s and ’70s. It is NASA’s biggest step yet toward establishing a permanent lunar presence. 'A beautiful moonrise,' Commander Reid Wiseman said. Five minutes into humanity’s first flight to the moon in 53 years, Commander Reid Wiseman saw the team’s target: “We have a beautiful moonrise, we’re headed right at it,” he said from the capsule. When will Artemis II reach the moon? On flight day six, Orion will reach its farthermost point from Earth as it sails 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) beyond the moon. That will surpass Apollo 13’s distance record, which would make Artemis astronauts the most remote travelers. Apollo 13 set the