The crew of a current lunar mission is concentrating its scientific efforts on the Oriental Basin, a prominent geological feature often referred to as the 'Grand Canyon of the Moon.' According to a recent mission update, astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Cooke are currently positioned at windows 2 and 3, directly observing and recording data about the basin.

Astronaut Reed Wiseman, acting as a support person alongside Jeremy Hansen, relayed information from the crew and the science team. He confirmed the team is particularly interested in obtaining centered images of the entire basin and surrounding craters, as well as creating detailed mosaics using 80-400mm zoom lenses. This will allow for a comprehensive analysis of the region’s geological features.

The Oriental Basin is a large impact crater on the far side of the Moon, known for its complex structure and potential to reveal insights into the Moon’s history. The science team expressed excitement about the data being collected, noting that the crew’s observations are highly anticipated. The astronauts are recording their observations on portable computing devices (PCDs) for later review and compilation by the science team. The team will analyze the data to further our understanding of the Moon’s formation and evolution. The mission is also observing other features, including trenches coming out of the southern sea and the annular ring in Oriental.