Artemis 2 Focuses on Lunar Geology

The crew of NASA’s Artemis 2 mission is currently prioritizing scientific study of the Oriental Basin, a large impact crater on the far side of the Moon often referred to as the 'Grand Canyon of the Moon.' Astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Cooke are directly observing and recording data from windows 2 and 3 of the Orion spacecraft.

Detailed Observations and Data Collection

Astronauts are utilizing high-powered zoom lenses to create detailed mosaics of the basin and surrounding craters. Support astronauts Reed Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen are assisting, relaying information between the crew and the science team on Earth. The team is particularly interested in the annular ring of the basin, its dark southern features, and variations in color, albedo, texture, and topography.

Scientific Goals

Scientists hope the observations will provide insights into the geologic evolution of the youngest lunar basin and help refine hypotheses about the formation of its unique annular ring. The Oriental Basin’s diameter is remarkably similar to the distance between NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Kennedy Space Center.

Record-Breaking Distance

As of 12:57 PM Central Time (1:57 PM Eastern Time) today, the Orion spacecraft was 7,373 miles from the Moon and 251,130 miles from Earth. This distance surpasses the previous record of 248,655 miles set by Apollo 13 in 1970. The spacecraft is expected to reach its farthest point from Earth – approximately 252,760 miles – later in the mission, exceeding the Apollo 13 record by over 4,100 miles.