Photo Gallery

PACIFIC OCEAN

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Omar Elizondo, assigned to the 45th Weather Squadron, launches a weather balloon from amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) April 7, 2026. John P. Murtha is underway in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations supporting NASA’s Artemis II mission, retrieving the crew and spacecraft following their return to Earth and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. NASA’s Artemis II mission sent four astronauts on a flight around the moon in the Orion space capsule, marking the first time humans journeyed to deep space in over 50 years. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kenneth Melseth) Share

Pacific Ocean

Ecuadorian Navy Esmeralda-class missile corvettes BAE Manabi (CM 12) and BAE Loja (CM 16) conduct formation maneuvering alongside Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Gridley (DDG 101), part of Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG), in the Pacific Ocean, April 8, 2026. Nimitz is deployed as part of Southern Seas 2026 which seeks to enhance capability, improve interoperability, and strengthen maritime partnerships with countries throughout the region through joint, multinational and interagency exchanges and cooperation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Julian Jaime) Share

Pacific Ocean

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Gridley (DDG 101), part of Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG), conduct a formation maneuver in the Pacific Ocean, April 8, 2026. Nimitz is deployed as part of Southern Seas 2026 which seeks to enhance capability, improve interoperability, and strengthen maritime partnerships with countries throughout the region through joint, multinational and interagency exchanges and cooperation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Julian Jaime) Share

Pacific Ocean

Ecuadorian Navy Esmeralda-class missile corvettes BAE Manabi (CM 12) and BAE Loja (CM 16) conduct formation maneuvering alongside Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Gridley (DDG 101), part of Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG), in the Pacific Ocean, April 8, 2026. Nimitz is deployed as part of Southern Seas 2026 which seeks to enhance capability, improve interoperability, and strengthen maritime partnerships with countries throughout the region through joint, multinational and interagency exchanges and cooperation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Julian Jaime) Share

Pacific Ocean

Ecuadorian navy Esmeralda-class missile corvettes BAE Manabi (CM 12) and BAE Loja (CM 16) conduct formation maneuvering alongside Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Gridley (DDG 101), part of Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG), in the Pacific Ocean, April 8, 2026. Nimitz is deployed as part of Southern Seas 2026, which seeks to enhance capability, improve interoperability, and strengthen maritime partnerships with countries throughout the region through joint, multinational and interagency exchanges and cooperation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Gina Gallia) Share

Pacific Ocean

Ecuadorian navy Esmeralda-class missile corvettes BAE Manabi (CM 12) and BAE Loja (CM 16) conduct formation maneuvering alongside Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Gridley (DDG 101), part of Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG), during a bilateral maritime engagement in the Pacific Ocean, April 8, 2026. Nimitz is deployed as part of Southern Seas 2026, which seeks to enhance capability, improve interoperability, and strengthen maritime partnerships with countries throughout the region through joint, multinational and interagency exchanges and cooperation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Gina Gallia) Share

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At mission control in Johnson Space Center, notably called “Houston” in the communications back and forth with the crew of Integrity, the flight controllers take a moment for a team photo. Running 24/7 during the mission, three shifts of controllers operate more than a dozen stations that control and monitor all facets of the Artemis II mission to and from the Moon. (U.S. Navy Photo by Dan Linehan) Share

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NPS alumni U.S. Navy Capt. Victor Glover, spacecraft pilot, and mission commander retired U.S. Navy Capt. Reid Wiseman, along with mission specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency prepare for their journey around the far side of the Moon by configuring their camera equipment shortly before beginning their lunar flyby observations. (Credit NASA) Share

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Captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, this image shows the Moon fully eclipsing the Sun. From the crew’s perspective, the Moon appears large enough to completely block the Sun, as it passed between the spacecraft and the Sun, another first in astronaut history. (Credit NASA) Share

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NPS alumnus and Artemis II mission commander retired U.S. Navy Capt. Reid Wiseman peers out the window of the Orion spacecraft just as his first lunar observation period of the day begins. Throughout the course of the sixth day of the mission, Wiseman and his crewmates took turns at the windows, capturing images and video of the Moon, along with recorded observations. (Credit NASA) Share

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Monterey, Calif. – Earth sets at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, over the Moon’s curved limb in this photo captured by the Artemis II crew during their journey around the far side of the Moon. Naval Postgraduate School alumni U.S. Navy Capt. Victor Glover, mission pilot, and retired U.S. Navy Capt. Reid Wiseman, mission commander will guide the spacecraft back to Earth where their shipmates aboard USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26) await their splashdown near San Diego, Calif. (Credit NASA) Share

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

A U.S. Sailor performs routine maintenance on wire supports on the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while underway in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, March 22, 2026. Gerald R. Ford is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to support the warfighting effectiveness, lethality and readiness of U.S. Naval Forces Europe Africa, and defend U.S., Allied and partner interests in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice India AaronTerrell) Share