Artemis II astronauts have 32 cameras aboard. But recreating one of the most famous space photos of all time will still be a challenge

The astronauts aboard the Artemis II have the opportunity to try to recreate one of the most iconic space photos of all time – but despite having an arsenal of camera tech on board, recreating the iconic “Earthrise” photo likely won’t be easy, despite the tech differences between 2026 and 1968.

NASA says that Orion has 32 cameras aboard the Artemis II historic flight set to orbit the far side of the moon today, March 6, before returning to Earth. Eliminating the cameras that are mounted on the spacecraft itself, and the four astronauts aboard have 17 handheld photo-taking devices at their disposal, including Nikon D5 DSLRs, a Nikon Z9 mirrorless camera, GoPros, and smartphones.

The camera tech that the Artmis II crew has access to is a far cry from the Hasselblad film camera and 250mm lens that Lunar Module Pilot Bill Anders used to capture the iconic Earthrise photo in 1968. The advancement in camera tech would make it seem like Artemis II pilots have a better chance of capturing a 2026 Earthrise on camera, but while the astronauts have a camera advantage, flight logistics will make recreating the photo a challenge.

When astronauts took the Earthrise photo in 1968, it was a spur-of-the-moment shot that happened after Anders spotted the Earth coming up as the crew made their way around the far side of the moon. Anders had to swap cameras because he had black-and-white film loaded, but was able to take what’s now an iconic image of the Earth “rising” over the surface of the moon.

But Apollo 8 orbited the moon ten times. The Artemis II has only one chance to recreate the image, as Orion is only circling the back side of the moon once. If you count both “earthrise” and “earthset,” the astronauts will have two chances to recreate a similar photo towards the beginning and the end of their time on the far side of the moon.

The crew will only have a few minutes to catch a similar view of the moon and Earth together, and the four-person crew has to get the shot while working in microgravity in a space that’s only about the size of two minivans.

Artemis II will also be farther from the moon than Apollo 8 – the Artemis II flight path is up to 100 times higher than the 60 miles from the lunar surface that resulted in the original image. Thankfully, the astronauts have an 80-400mm telephoto lens aboard, which may help cover some of that distance, as the original image was taken with a 250mm telephoto lens. The difference between a medium format film camera and full-frame D5 and Z9 cameras will also help the lens crop in closer.

Another key difference? The far side of the moon may only be partially lit as the Orion space capsule travels on the far side of the moon, which means the surface of the moon in a recreated photo will likely look different than the well-lit surface in the 1968 image.

The original Earthrise image isn’t just iconic because of the view of the Earth rising over the moon – it also helped unify a planet that was divided during the Vietnam War. The world is watching Artemis II in similar political tension – another iconic photo could serve as a visual reminder of our fragile planet that crosses language barriers.

Whether or not Artemis II manages to take a similar shot, the crew has already been sending back iconic images from the historic spaceflight, including a shot of Earth that shows both the northern and southern lights at once and some of the first smartphone space photos, as personal smartphones were only recently approved for space flight.

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