The Moon is on Google Maps–did Artemis II tell us anything new?
5 hours ago
- #lunar exploration
- #Artemis II
- #laser communication
- NASA's Artemis II mission established a laser communications link after passing behind the Moon, allowing high-resolution images taken by astronauts with Nikon cameras and iPhones to stream back to Earth.
- Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen are returning to Earth for splashdown, concluding the first crewed lunar mission in over 53 years, after reaching the farthest point from Earth.
- During the mission, astronauts shared both scientific observations and expressions of awe via radio, with geologists in Mission Control excited about human exploration of another planetary body after nearly 54 years.
- The Artemis II astronauts viewed parts of the Moon's far side previously seen only by robots, thanks to celestial mechanics, while robotic missions have long used advanced instruments to study the Moon.
- Robotic spacecraft have equipped with tools like laser altimeters and radars, discovering water ice in lunar south pole craters over decades, highlighting key reasons for human return to the surface.