Moon Lander Snaps Amazing Selfie

Earth was the backdrop
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 6, 2019 3:11 AM CST
Moon Lander Snaps Amazing Selfie
This March 3, 2019 photo made available by SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries on March 5 shows the Beresheet spacecraft with the Earth in the background.   (SpaceIL, Israel Aerospace Industries via AP)

An Israeli spacecraft has taken the ultimate selfie on its roundabout journey to the moon, the AP reports. Organizers for the privately funded mission released the photo on Tuesday, 12 days after its launch. It shows the spacecraft Beresheet, Hebrew for Genesis, orbiting some 23,300 miles away, with the entire Earth as the stunning Apollo-style backdrop. A plaque reads: "Small Country, Big Dreams" and "The people of Israel live." The spacecraft is shooting for a moon landing April 11. It rocketed from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Feb. 21 and has been circling Earth in ever bigger loops. Despite some early problems, Beresheet should be close enough to enter lunar orbit in early April. A touchdown would make Israel the fourth country to pull off a moon landing. (More moon lander stories.)

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