NASA is gearing up for a monumental mission to the Moon, marking the first crewed lunar landing in over fifty years. As part of its Artemis III mission, NASA has pinpointed nine potential landing regions near the lunar South Pole, an area that has never been explored by humans. This selection is an integral step in the journey to return human presence to the Moon and to explore areas previously untouched. These regions will undergo detailed scientific and engineering evaluations to ensure their suitability for the mission. Moreover, NASA plans to continue the exploration of potential landing sites for missions succeeding Artemis III, expanding beyond these initial nine regions.
Lakiesha Hawkins, who serves as the Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for the Moon to Mars Program Office, emphasized the significance of the Artemis mission. She stated, "Artemis will return humanity to the Moon and visit unexplored areas. NASA’s selection of these regions shows our commitment to landing crew safely near the lunar South Pole, where they will help uncover new scientific discoveries and learn to live on the lunar surface." This echoes the mission’s objective of not only landing humans safely but also enabling groundbreaking scientific research.
The process of selecting these regions was a collaborative effort led by NASA’s Cross Agency Site Selection Analysis team. This team worked in conjunction with various science and industry partners to meticulously evaluate and refine potential landing sites. The goal was to identify regions that hold significant scientific value and are viable for mission execution.
The nine candidate landing regions selected for the Artemis III mission, presented without any specific ranking, are as follows:
- Peak near Cabeus B
- Haworth
- Malapert Massif
- Mons Mouton Plateau
- Mons Mouton
- Nobile Rim 1
- Nobile Rim 2
- de Gerlache Rim 2
- Slater Plain
Each of these regions boasts unique geological features, which are crucial for scientific exploration and offer flexibility in terms of mission execution. The lunar South Pole is particularly intriguing because it contains areas that are permanently shadowed. These shadowed zones have the potential to preserve resources such as water, which is vital for sustaining future lunar missions and could be key to longer-term human presence on the Moon.
Sarah Noble, the Artemis lunar science lead at NASA Headquarters, highlighted the uniqueness of the South Pole. She remarked, "The Moon’s South Pole is a completely different environment than where we landed during the Apollo missions. It offers access to some of the Moon’s oldest terrain, as well as cold, shadowed regions that may contain water and other compounds. Any of these landing regions will enable us to do amazing science and make new discoveries." This perspective underlines the potential for new scientific insights that could reshape our understanding of the Moon and its history.
The selection of these landing sites involved a comprehensive analysis conducted by a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers. They utilized data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, along with an extensive array of lunar science research, to assess the lunar South Pole. The evaluation criteria included the scientific potential of the regions, launch window availability, terrain suitability, communication capabilities with Earth, and lighting conditions. Additionally, the team considered the combined trajectory capabilities of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and the Starship Human Landing System (HLS) to ensure that the landing sites are both safe and accessible.
The Artemis III geology team also played an essential role in evaluating the scientific promise of these landing regions. They considered the potential of sites within each region to provide valuable new insights into the geology of rocky planets, the Moon’s resources, and the broader history of our solar system. Jacob Bleacher, NASA’s chief exploration scientist, explained the significance of this mission: "Artemis III will be the first time that astronauts will land in the south polar region of the Moon. They will be flying on a new lander into a terrain that is unique from our past Apollo experience. Finding the right locations for this historic moment begins with identifying safe places for this first landing, and then trying to match that with opportunities for science from this new place on the Moon."
To further refine the selection of landing sites, NASA’s site assessment team will engage the lunar science community through conferences and workshops. This collaboration will facilitate data gathering, the creation of geological maps, and the evaluation of the regional geology of potential landing sites. The team will continue to survey the entire lunar South Pole region to assess its scientific value and mission availability for future Artemis missions. This includes planning for expanded scientific opportunities during Artemis IV and ensuring the suitability of the Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) for Artemis V.
NASA will finalize the selection of specific sites within the nine identified regions for Artemis III once the mission’s target launch dates are established. These dates are crucial as they dictate transfer trajectories, or orbital paths, and the conditions on the lunar surface.
The Artemis mission represents a significant leap forward in NASA’s long-term scientific exploration of the Moon. Under this campaign, NASA aims to lay the groundwork for sustained human presence on the lunar surface. This includes landing the first woman, the first person of color, and the first international partner astronaut on the Moon. Additionally, it serves as a stepping stone for future human expeditions to Mars, ensuring that the benefits of space exploration extend to all of humanity.
The Artemis mission is a testament to NASA’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of human exploration and scientific discovery. By venturing into unexplored territories of the Moon, NASA is not only paving the way for future lunar missions but also laying the foundation for a new era of space exploration that could one day extend to Mars and beyond.
For more detailed insights into the Artemis mission and its objectives, readers can visit the official NASA Artemis webpage here.
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