En route to the Moon - Illustration - Moonward bound - An astronaut looks at...

En route to the Moon - Illustration - Moonward bound - An astronaut looks at Earth before returning to his ship to begin his descent to the Moon. A soon-to-be lunar explorer takes a last look at Earth before entering orbit around the moon. At this point in the journey, the moon nearly fills the field of view at a distance of only 3,000 miles. Closing at a speed of 25,000 mph, the explorer will need to return to the airlock soon if she is to be safely inside before the thrusters file, slowing the tug/lunar lander combination down to an orbital velocity