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NASA\u2019s Artemis II mission\u2014a slingshot around the moon earlier this year that sent four astronauts to lunar space for the first time in more than half a century\u2014was an unequivocal success<\/a>. The voyage was chiefly a technological stepping stone for future crewed forays to the lunar surface, which should culminate with the founding of a small base<\/a> near the moon\u2019s south pole. But it was also a chance to carry out novel observations of the lunar farside, a largely mysterious realm that has been rarely glimpsed by human eyes.<\/p>\n Although Artemis II\u2019s Orion spacecraft carried minimal science payloads, its astronauts were equipped with digital cameras (and iPhones)\u2014and between April 1 and 10, they captured 814 gigabytes of lunar science data. At a press conference yesterday NASA presented its preliminary findings<\/a>, which touch on everything from the moon\u2019s surprisingly colorful craters to a series of curious flashes that the astronauts spied in lunar shadows. The release also includes more than eight hours of audio from the crew, videos of their nail-biting return to Earth, hand-annotated images, and much more\u2014all available in a vast online repository<\/a>.<\/p>\n Besides being breathtaking, the mission\u2019s high-resolution imagery helps address more pragmatic queries: Which landing sites might be best for upcoming missions, and how safe would an outpost somewhere on the lunar farside be? \u201cThese findings are going to help shape future Artemis mission architectures,\u201d said Marie Henderson<\/a>, Artemis II\u2019s deputy lunar science lead, during the press conference.<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing<\/a>. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.<\/p>\n The crew\u2019s sojourn around the moon may have been brief\u2014just under seven hours\u2014but they still surveyed a large swath of the farside, some of which was cloaked in total darkness. Arguably, the mission\u2019s most important discovery emerged from those shadowy regions: five flashes of light, each in a different location on the lunar farside.<\/p>\n These were meteorite impacts. That isn\u2019t inherently surprising: the airless moon gets bombarded by cosmic debris all the time. Sometimes these impactors\u2014either asteroids or cometary fragments\u2014are relatively big: in the spring of 2024, for example, a 15-meter object slammed into the moon<\/a> with the force of an atomic bomb, cutting out a 222-meter-long pit.<\/p>\n Mostly, though, the moon is pelted by meteoroids the size of bullets or footballs. Each could, with a direct strike, kill an astronaut or trash a fancy new moon rover<\/a>, so it\u2019s good to know how often these small-but-lethal space rocks rain down on the lunar surface.<\/p>\nOn supporting science journalism<\/h2>\n