The Artemis Photos You Haven't Seen (in a way you haven't seen them)

TL;DR

The creator built an interactive timeline tool combining Artemis 2 photo metadata, NASA's minute-by-minute schedule, and JPL's Horizons API to show exactly where astronauts were in space for each photo.

Key Points

• 1.Photo EXIF metadata was the starting point. Artemis 2 photos on Flickr had intact metadata including timestamps, lens info (e.g. 400mm vs 80mm), camera serial numbers (D51, D52, Z9), and ISO settings like 12,800 for the Milky Way shot.
• 2.JPL's Horizons API enabled precise spacecraft positioning. By querying Orion's location every 5 minutes post-launch, the creator could match each photo's timestamp to the crew's exact position between Earth and the Moon.
• 3.NASA's minute-by-minute PDF schedule was decoded to add context. Cryptic codes like 'OCSSDFOPS' were translated (Orion Crew Survival System Development Flight Test Objective Operations — suit testing) to label what astronauts were doing when each photo was taken.
• 4.A screen-captured telemetry photo was the critical calibration anchor. One image showing an on-screen display with real-time position data and a previously-taken photo allowed correct timezone alignment across three cameras, resolving an apparent 'middle of the night' photo mystery.
• 5.The interactive tool layers photos, schedule, position, and audio together. Built and hosted on Vercel with GitHub, it lets users filter by crew member, camera type, or media format, zoom the timeline, and optionally play mission audio clips synced to events like the 'Nutella moment' from the live stream.
• 6.Later photo batches added context-free interior shots that metadata helps place. Post-mission releases lacked timeline context, but EXIF data restores the narrative; the creator is also selling a 2027 Artemis 13-month calendar and wall prints via DFTBA.