(NewsNation) — Using new technology, scientists at NASA were able to see some of the darkest parts of the moon before astronauts touch down near the area during the Artemis III mission.
With imagery from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, or LROC, and ShadowCam, a NASA instrument on board a Korea Aerospace Research Institute spacecraft called Danuri, a mosaic was created of the Shackleton Crater, which is on the moon’s south pole.
The LROC has been operating since 2009, while the ShadowCam was launched by Malin Space Science Systems and Arizona State University in 2022, according to NASA.
While LROC can capture detailed pictures of the lunar surface, it has a more challenging time photographing shadowed parts of the moon that don’t get direct sunlight. Because ShadowCam is 200 times more light sensitive than the other cameras, according to NASA, it can operate even in extremely low-light conditions.
ShadowCam uses sunlight reflected off lunar geologic features of the Earth to do this.
“With each camera optimized for specific lighting conditions found near the lunar poles, analysts can combine images from both instruments to create a comprehensive visual map of the terrain and geologic features of both the brightest and darkest parts of the Moon,” NASA said in a news release.
While ShadowCam is responsible for the “permanently shadowed” areas of the mosaic, the more sunlit spots are collected by LROC.
“With ShadowCam, NASA can image permanently shadowed regions of the Moon in greater detail than previously possible, giving scientists a much better view of the lunar South Pole region,” NASA wrote.
National Geographic writes that these images could be “critical” to the Artemis III mission planned for 2025 when NASA sends astronauts to the moon’s south pole. Humans have never explored this area, although India recently became the first country to land there with its Chandrayaan-3 lander.
According to NASA, the moon’s south pole is of interest for science and exploration because it is thought to contain ice deposits or other “frozen volatiles.”
“If there is water ice there, then that water ice can be recovered and it can be used for astronaut consumables, it can be used to shield astronauts from harmful space radiation, and the water can be used for rocket propellant,” David Kring, a planetary scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston told National Geographic.
Study samples of ice deposits could also help further understanding of how the moon and solar system evolved, NASA pointed out.