Nikon Z9 Aboard the Artemis II Moon Mission at the Last Minute
6 hours ago
- #space photography
- #NASA
- #Nikon
- NASA's Artemis II mission includes Nikon D5 DSLR cameras as primary photographic tools due to their proven performance in high-radiation space environments.
- A last-minute request by Commander Reid Wiseman added a Nikon Z9 to the mission to test it in deep space, as it will be used in future Artemis missions.
- The crew received brief training on the Z9 and will also use smartphones and GoPro cameras, with the latter part of a National Geographic documentary project.
- Nikon and NASA are developing the Handheld Universal Lunar Camera (HULC), based on a modified Nikon Z9, for Artemis III and beyond, to withstand lunar conditions.
- Testing the Z9 on Artemis II will provide valuable data for refining the HULC and supporting upcoming lunar missions, including Artemis III planned for next year.