As the Artemis II mission makes its way toward the moon, photos taken by the crew have shifted from highlighting Earth to refocusing on the moon.

Track the progress of the Artemis II mission with the latest updates and news from the historic mission to the moon's orbit.

Amid ongoing toilet trouble, the Artemis II astronauts reflected on the wonder of sailing through deep space to the moon.

There was more than just appreciation of the moon coming from the astronauts. The crew radioed back observations of lunar craters, its vast basalt plains known as mare (Latin for "seas"), brightness variations and other details. They turned out the lights in the cabin of their Orion moon ship in order to get a better view.

Artemis II hit a key milestone Thursday when Orion ignited its engine, propelling the crew on a trip that will reach deeper into space than any human has traveled.

The Artemis II astronauts are more than halfway to the moon. The three Americans and one Canadian will reach their destination Monday, performing a lunar flyby and then coming straight back home.

As of Thursday, April 2, the Moon phase is North America is Waning Gibbous, according to NASA's Daily Moon Guide.