Gazing out of a plane window can often be dull once you’re above a layer of clouds and while most people are only ever lucky enough to spot a sighting of another plane while jetting to their destination, some fortunate plane passengers were treated to a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ view.
This comes as one traveler uploaded an image they had captured from their seat to social media and the internet erupted with reactions to the pic.
On Reddit, the user wrote: “We could see the Artemis II launch from my flight today.”
They added: “It was truly an awe inspiring experience! I was completely unaware of the launch until I listened to The Daily this morning. Even then, it didn’t cross my mind that it would be at the same time as my flight.
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“It was a once in a lifetime moment. Everyone on the plane was looking out the window trying to catch a glimpse of the rocket. It felt like the stories shared by folks who were alive during the 1960s about their experiences witnessing the moon landing.”
The Artemis II mission officially launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Wednesday evening (April 1), which saw four astronauts begin their journey to the Moon.
This is all part of NASA’s new lunar programme and will mark the first human crew to venture to the lunar rock in over half a century.
The four-person crew includes NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
It is expected to take them 10 days to make the round-trip, with the team set to reach the lunar rock by Monday (April 6).
However, this mission won’t involve landing on the Moon, instead the Orion capsule will fly past, using the rock’s gravitational pull to take them round it before slingshotting back to Earth.
NASA is also broadcasting a 24/7 live stream of a camera attached to the exterior of the capsule, which is available to view on YouTube, with the caption of the video reading: “As bandwidth allows, this stream will feature live views from the Orion spacecraft, without commentary, as it makes its journey around the Moon. Viewers will see a blue screen if there is a loss of signal, or if the bandwidth is needed for mission activities. Viewers may see what appears to be a black screen when the vehicle is in darkness.
“This stream started as Artemis II began its ascent into space and will conclude shortly before Orion splashes down into the Pacific Ocean.”