Photo: NASA Goddard
This visualization depicts different close-up views of the lunar surface that capture the mood set by Claude Debussy's best-known piano piece Clair de Lune. As the Sun rises, we can see the light reaching every crater, mountain, and valley.
It's hard to believe that in a few years, astronauts will set their boots on the lunar surface. With the Artemis Moon exploration program, NASA aims to establish a long-term presence on our natural satellite. Currently, the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion capsule are waiting on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Artemis I mission will have a second chance of liftoff on September 3rd. Once that happens, NASA will finally kickstart the Moon exploration program. This time, the spacecraft will not have any humans on board since the flight will be carried out to assess the capabilities of SLS and Orion.
But the Artemis II mission will be crewed. It will take astronauts on a trip around the Moon, preparing them for the third mission, which will be the one that will actually land humans on the lunar surface once more.
This visualization shows what future Artemis astronauts might witness in person. For now, we're only seeing these gorgeous views through the eyes of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a spacecraft that has been orbiting and mapping the satellite since 2009.
We're looking at close-up views of craters, valleys, and mountains as they're hit by sunlight. For example, toward the end of the clip released by NASA Goddard, we can see the Copernicus crater getting hit by sunlight and then slowly being engulfed by darkness when the night falls.
The extraordinary landscape seems to capture the mood of Claude Debussy's Clair de Lune (which means "moonlight" in French). Published in 1905 as the third of four pieces that form the Suite Bergamasque, the piece is slightly melancholic, embodying a sense of solitude.
But the lunar surface is expected to get more crowded toward the end of the decade. With Artemis, NASA plans to roll out a base camp near the South Pole, enabling a sustainable long-term human presence on the Moon.
The Artemis I mission will have a second chance of liftoff on September 3rd. Once that happens, NASA will finally kickstart the Moon exploration program. This time, the spacecraft will not have any humans on board since the flight will be carried out to assess the capabilities of SLS and Orion.
But the Artemis II mission will be crewed. It will take astronauts on a trip around the Moon, preparing them for the third mission, which will be the one that will actually land humans on the lunar surface once more.
This visualization shows what future Artemis astronauts might witness in person. For now, we're only seeing these gorgeous views through the eyes of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a spacecraft that has been orbiting and mapping the satellite since 2009.
We're looking at close-up views of craters, valleys, and mountains as they're hit by sunlight. For example, toward the end of the clip released by NASA Goddard, we can see the Copernicus crater getting hit by sunlight and then slowly being engulfed by darkness when the night falls.
The extraordinary landscape seems to capture the mood of Claude Debussy's Clair de Lune (which means "moonlight" in French). Published in 1905 as the third of four pieces that form the Suite Bergamasque, the piece is slightly melancholic, embodying a sense of solitude.
But the lunar surface is expected to get more crowded toward the end of the decade. With Artemis, NASA plans to roll out a base camp near the South Pole, enabling a sustainable long-term human presence on the Moon.
???? Sit back, relax, and take in the beauty of our Moon. Visualized here at Goddard with data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, these up-close views of our natural satellite are set to Debussy’s Clair de Lune.#NASAMoonSnap pic.twitter.com/sb9zIbNOPc
— NASA Goddard (@NASAGoddard) August 30, 2022
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