An article published recently on the AmericaSpace website, “Artemis 2 and a New Era of Lunar Science,” includes a photo of Professor of Geosciences Emerita Barbara Tewksbury. Taken in 2013, the image shows Tewksbury working with Victor Glover, then an astronaut candidate, and now an Artemis II pilot, during a geology training exercise.
The article focuses on how NASA’s Artemis II astronauts will contribute to our knowledge of the moon. According to the article, Artemis II is serving as a test of critical systems ahead of the Artemis III mission that is expected to deliver trained geologists to the lunar surface at a yet unknown date.
The crew of Artemis II will photograph the moon’s surface as they fly past. Though these images will be captured further from the surface than those from other missions, the photos obtained will be crisper and of higher resolution due to the high-end digital cameras being used. In addition, these photos will be taken from a different vantage point than those from earlier missions.
Among other things, the new photos will help NASA select landing sites for future missions, including Artemis III, and are expected to provide valuable information about the far side’s young impact craters.
