On July 3, one of NASA’s two Mars-destined ESCAPADE spacecraft captured photos of Earth and the Moon using visible and thermal infrared light. The images, taken from 363,250 miles (584,600 kilometers) away from Earth and 115,600 miles (186,100 kilometers) from the Moon, serve as an important calibration check for cameras designed to study the Martian surface and atmosphere.
While the spacecraft, which were built by Rocket Lab, are destined for the Red Planet, this recent imaging provides a baseline for the Visible and Infrared Observation System cameras provided by Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.
Thermal Contrasts Between Earth and the Moon
The imagery captured a specific lighting condition where the Sun only partially illuminated the two bodies, leaving only about 8% of each face sunlit in visible light. However, the thermal infrared images revealed a stark difference in how the two worlds retain heat.
Earth’s shadowed hemisphere remained illuminated by its own heat from the surface and atmosphere, glowing between minus 10 to minus 44 degrees Fahrenheit (250 to 280 kelvins). In contrast, because the Moon lacks the insulating blankets of oceans and atmospheres, its far side remained significantly colder, measured at minus 280 degrees Fahrenheit (100 kelvins).
Calibration for the Martian Environment
These photos are more than just road trip photo album snaps; they are functional tests for hardware that will soon face the harsh conditions of Mars. Rob Lillis, the mission’s principal investigator at the University of California, Berkeley, stated: We are thrilled that ESCAPADE was able to accommodate these excellent space-qualified cameras which will search for visible Martian aurora and investigate thermal properties of the Martian surface and atmosphere.
Lillis further noted that Since Earth and the Moon are well-known targets, imaging them provides an important calibration check for ESCAPADE’s cameras.
The mission is funded by NASA’s Heliophysics Division and is part of the NASA Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration program. The UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory leads the mission with key partners Rocket Lab; NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Advanced Space; and Blue Origin.
The Slingshot to Mars: 2026 and 2027
The current loiter phase is a prelude to a complex orbital maneuver. In November 2026, the spacecraft will fly by Earth to use the planet’s gravity to slingshot their way to Mars.
When the spacecraft arrive in September 2027, the two spacecraft will study how a million-mile-per-hour stream of material flowing from the Sun, known as solar wind, interacts with the Martian environment and how that drives atmospheric loss at the Red Planet.
Comparative Earth Observation: DSCOVR and Orion
NASA frequently utilizes different orbital vantage points to capture portraits of the Earth-Moon system, each serving a different scientific or operational purpose. While ESCAPADE focuses on calibration for Mars, other missions provide long-term monitoring or human-rating tests.
| Spacecraft | Primary Goal of Imagery | Key Distance/Location |
|---|---|---|
| ESCAPADE | Calibration for Martian aurora/thermal study | 363,250 miles (July 3) |
| DSCOVR | Monitoring solar wind and ozone levels | Lagrange Point 1 (~930,000 miles) |
| Orion (Artemis I) | Certifying optical navigation for crewed flight | Max distance 268,563 miles |
The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR), a joint effort of NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Air Force, launched in February. It reached its science orbit at Lagrange Point 1, a gravitationally stable spot about 930,000 miles (1.5 million km) from Earth. Its primary task is monitoring the solar wind, which should help improve NOAA researchers’ forecasts of geomagnetic storms that can disrupt power grids and other infrastructure here on Earth. DSCOVR uses the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera, or EPIC, which took a photo of the sunlit side of Earth on July 6. EPIC captures a series of 10 different images in a variety of wavelengths, from near infrared to ultraviolet light. Upon the release of the first image of the sunlit side of Earth taken by DSCOVR from its final science orbit on July 20, President Barack Obama stated via his official Twitter account, @POTUS: Just got this new blue marble photo from @NASA. A beautiful reminder that we need to protect the only planet we have.
Similarly, the uncrewed Orion spacecraft, part of the Artemis I mission, used its optical navigation camera to capture imagery of the Earth and the Moon at different phases and distances during its 25.5-day mission. On November 17, 2022, the second day of the mission, Orion snapped a black and white photo of Earth. These images help establish its effectiveness as a way of determining its position in space for future missions under differing lighting conditions.
During the mission, a camera on the tip of one of Orion’s solar arrays captured a ‘family portrait’ of the Orion spacecraft with European Service Module (left), Earth (middle) and the Moon (right) during its closest approach to the lunar surface. Six days into the mission, Orion performed a key manoeuvre: just a little more than 130 km from the lunar surface, the main engine on the European Service Module – a repurposed Space Shuttle engine that is now on its 20th spaceflight – fired for just under 150 seconds to push the spacecraft and head towards a lunar orbit using the Moon’s gravity to reduce fuel consumption. The European Service Module powers Orion around the Moon and back, providing propulsion, temperature control, electricity as well as storage and delivery for essential supplies such as fuel, water and air. Mission control for Orion is at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, USA, where European engineers are on hand at all times to offer in-depth expertise, and the mission evaluation room based at ESA’s technical heart in The Netherlands also has personnel round the clock in direct communication with their US and European colleagues in mission control in Houston.
Orion’s closest approach to the moon was within 80 miles above the lunar surface, and the capsule traveled about 57,287 miles beyond the moon. It eventually reached a maximum distance from Earth of 268,563 miles, farther away from Earth than any other spacecraft built for humans. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson described the success of Artemis I, stating, Because of the unbelievable can-do spirit, Artemis I has had extraordinary success and has completed a series of history making events,
while noting, It’s incredible just how smoothly this mission has gone, but this is a test. That’s what we do – we test it and we stress it.
Orion returned to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, reaching a speed of 25,000 miles per hour (40,233 kilometers).
These varied perspectives—from the 268,563-mile peak of Orion to the nearly 1-million-mile distance of DSCOVR—highlight a broader strategy. By verifying camera resolution and thermal accuracy here, NASA ensures that when ESCAPADE finally arrives at Mars in September 2027, the data collected will be precise and reliable.
Worth a look
