There are 13 regions, and therefore, 13 aluzinaje options that have been identified by the POT for the next human landing with the Artemis programwhich will take a crew to the Moon after more than 50 years, specifically to the mysterious lunar south pole.
According to the report of the Agency Synceach region contains multiple potential landing sites for the Artemis III mission, which will be the first in the program to bring humans to the lunar surface, including a woman and a person of color for the first time.
Mark Kirasich, deputy administrator for NASA’s Artemis Campaign Development Division, spoke about it in a statement posted on the space agency website: “This selection means that we are taking a giant step, we are closer to putting humans back on the Moonfor the first time since the Apollo program”.
“When we do, it will be unlike any previous mission, as astronauts will venture into dark zones previously unexplored by humans and lay the groundwork for future long-term stays.”.
The 13 regions of the Moon identified
NASA identified the following candidate regions for the Artemis III landing:
- Faustini A edge
- Peak near Shackleton
- connection crest
- Extension of the connecting ridge
- Gerlache edge 1
- Gerlache edge 2
- Gerlache-Kocher massif
- Haworth
- Malapert Massif
- Leibnitz Beta Plateau
- Noble Edge 1
- Noble Edge 2
- Amundsen’s edge
Each one has temperatures below six degrees and offer conditions for landing during Artemis III. For their selection, experts used data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, as well as decades of publications and scientific findings about the natural satellite and its south pole.
They also took into account criteria such as the slope of the terrain, the ease of communication with the Earth and lighting conditions.
The Artemis program should start rolling out as early as late August/early September, with mannequins being sent to the Moon as part of Artemis I; in May 2024, the Artemis II mission will fly close to the satellite without landing, while Artemis III, to be carried out “no earlier than 2025”, It will be the final landing.
NASA’s plan is that, with the expected moonwalk, astronauts will be able to collect samples and perform scientific analysis to obtain information on the depth, distribution and composition of the water ice that is at the south pole of the Moon.