NASA has released the first flyby images of the Moon captured by the Artemis II astronauts during their historic test flight.
The team conducted a seven-hour flyby of the lunar far side in the first manned mission near the Moon in nearly 50 years.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen used a fleet of cameras to take thousands of photos.
These will be progressively released by NASA.
During the lunar flyby, the crew documented impact craters, ancient lava flows, and surface fractures that will help scientists study the Moon’s geologic evolution.
They reported six meteoroid impact flashes on the darkened lunar surface.
“Scientists already are analyzing the downlinked images, audio, and data to refine the timing and locations of these events and compare them with observations from amateur astronomers,” NASA said in a statement.
“The new imagery also will help NASA better understand the Moon’s geology and inform future exploration and science missions that will lay the foundation for an enduring presence on the Moon ahead of future astronaut missions to Mars.”
To learn more about the Artemis program, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis
