Journey to the Dark Side of the Moon - TDS Photography Podcast

This is The Digital Story Podcast 1,046, April 7, 2026. Today's theme is, "Journey to the Dark Side of the Moon." I'm Derrick Story. On April 1, 2026, Artemis II launched for a historic 10-day crewed mission orbiting the Moon, marking it the first human return to deep space since 1972. The pictures from the mission have been stunning. Today we will learn about the gear they are using and hear from the astronauts themselves. I hope you enjoy the show. Digital Photography Podcast 1046 Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App! Apple Podcasts -- Spotify Podcasts -- Stitcher Podbean Podcasts -- Podbay FM -- Tune In Journey to the Dark Side of the Moon NASA provided the audio of Mission Control and the astronauts, as well as the image for this podcast. A big thank you! The crew of four - Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen--are testing NASA's Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket. This mission will break records, flying further than any humans before, to prepare for future sustainable lunar exploration. For their image-making, the crew has 32 cameras aboard the Artemis II. Eliminating the cameras that are mounted on the spacecraft itself, the four astronauts aboard have 17 handheld photo-taking devices at their disposal, including Nikon D5 DSLRs, a Nikon Z9 mirrorless camera, GoPros, and iPhones. (More on the iPhones in the next story.) Lenses include the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8G ED, Nikon AF Nikkor 35mm F2D, and the Nikon AF-S 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR. NASA has selected National Geographic to help tell the story of Artemis II, the first Artemis flight that will carry astronauts around the Moon and back to Earth aboard the agency's Orion spacecraft. Nat Geo collaborated with NASA to train the Artemis II crew in 2025-2026, acting as a "mini astronaut film school". Staff taught astronauts storytelling techniques, cinematic videography, and social media skills for documenting their lunar mission. The crew will act as photographers and filmmakers during their journey. Some of the images we've already seen include "art002e000192" (April 3, 2026) - A view of Earth taken by Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft's windows after completing the translunar injection burn on April 2, 2026. The image features two auroras (top right and bottom left) and zodiacal light (bottom right) is visible as the Earth eclipses the Sun. He used a Nikon D5 with a Nikon AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8G ED at 22mm, f/4.0, 1/4 sec, at ISO 51,200. This is the shot that everyone has seen and marveled. Another image that I really like is "art002e000191" taken in the same session by Reid Wiseman of a view of Earth from one of the Orion spacecraft's four main windows, with earth framed by the window and also showing the interior of the Orion craft. Again, with the Nikon D5, Nikkor 35mm F2D, f/20, 1/250 sec, ISO 250. These images are made available by NASA. Even though this is a mission of a lifetime, with amazing equipment and technology, these are still humans trying to figure things out in real time. One of my favorite quotes is: "The moon is so bright in window 4 they have had to temporarily cover it with a t-shirt." I also liked: "Time to swap positions at the window and take your SD cards with you." Mission Control. So let's hear from the astronauts themselves. Here is some actual dialog from April 6, 2026, as they near the moon. I also want to mention, great job by NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens, who is moderating this mission in real time. This Week in the News Here's how NASA cleared the iPhone 17 Pro Max for astronauts on Artemis II as featured on 9to5mac.com How Steven Madow Captured the Artemis II Launch With 14 Cameras as featured on FStoppers.com 'Project Hail Mary' Cinematographer Says Film Was 'Challenging', But Was Helped by Cheap Amazon Filter as featured on PetaPixel.com Virtual Camera Club News Workshops! The 2026 TDS Photography Workshop Season . We are featuring webinars, online workshops, and in-person events focused on creating impactful images in the company of those who love photography as much as you. Our workshops are like no others, and we think you will throughly enjoy the camaraderie and the tips and techniques. Stop by The Nimble Photographer Workshop Page and reserve your spot today. Inner Circle Bold . Sign up for the Annual Membership that's only $75.60 a year, you will receive all of the regular Inner Circle benefits, plus a coupon for your choice of a 2026 Online workshop hosted by me. Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to

You can listen to Journey to the Dark Side of the Moon - TDS Photography Podcast online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Journey to the Dark Side of the Moon - TDS Photography Podcast is an episode from The Digital Story Photography Podcast by Derrick Story.

This episode is 31:59 long.

This episode was published on Apr 7, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from The Digital Story Photography Podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.