Artemis Science: Visualizing NASA’s Next Lunar Flyby

Artemis II visualization lead Ernie Wright explains how his data-driven animations are helping astronauts to prepare for a historic flyby of the Moon.Complete transcript available.Universal Production Music: “Black Cloud” and “Magic Trick” by Hugo Dubery [SACEM] and Philippe Galtier [SACEM]; “Connecting Ideas” by Christopher Timothy White [PRS]; “Transitions” by Ben Niblett [PRS] and Jon Cotton [PRS]Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.

VERTICAL VIDEO 1 – Ernie Wright discusses which regions of the Moon the Artemis II crew might see that were not visible to Apollo astronauts. Universal Production Music: “Black Cloud” by Hugo Dubery [SACEM] and Philippe Galtier [SACEM]; “Connecting Ideas” by Christopher Timothy White [PRS]Watch this video on X, Facebook, and @NASAArtemis Instagram.

ARTIST’S CONCEPT – This animation shows the trajectory for NASA’s Artemis II test flight, an approximately 10-day mission that will send four astronauts around the Moon and back. The agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft will launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orion will fly two orbits of Earth and then venture around the Moon in a figure-eight pattern before returning to Earth.Credit: NASA/JSC/Goddard

ARTIST’S CONCEPT – Artemis II has several potential launch windows in 2026, each with different local lighting conditions at the Moon. During the initial launch window in early February, virtually the entire lunar far side will be illuminated (left), making the Artemis II crew the first humans to see it with their own eyes. Less of the far side will be illuminated during later launch windows (right). The Apollo missions launched when the Moon’s far side was mostly darkened and its near side was mostly illuminated, allowing crew members to land in daylight. During Artemis II’s flyby, the Moon’s heavily cratered far side will appear to be about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length – far more distant than it would have appeared to the orbiting Apollo astronauts. Spacecraft window model courtesy of Christian Bittner. Credit: NASA Goddard/SVS

ARTIST’S CONCEPT – On December 24, 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 became the first humans to witness the Earth rising above the Moon’s barren surface. “Earthrise,” an unplanned photograph taken by astronaut Bill Anders, captured the moment to become an iconic image of the 20th century. This approximation of the astronauts’ view was created with a 3D model of the Apollo 11 capsule (courtesy of the Smithsonian) and data from NASA’s LRO mission.Credit: NASA Goddard

DATA VISUALIZATION – An animated map of the Moon showing the sunlit parts of the lunar surface that the Apollo astronauts could see from orbit. The darkened parts of the map were either never in sunlight or were beyond the horizon of the spacecraft. The large gap at left that includes the giant impact crater Mare Orientale spans longitudes 146°W to 70°W.Credit: NASA Goddard/SVS

DATA VISUALIZATION – Animated globes of the Moon showing the sunlit parts of the lunar surface that the Apollo astronauts could see from orbit. The darkened parts of the globes were either never in sunlight or were beyond the horizon of the spacecraft.Credit: NASA Goddard/SVS

DATA VISUALIZATION – Vertical version of the animation above.Credit: NASA Goddard/SVS

DATA VISUALIZATION – Vertical version of the animation above.Credit: NASA Goddard/SVS