Lunar observation taken during moonrise by Expedition 34 crewmember.
Lunar observation taken by the Expedition 39 crew aboard the ISS. An Earth limb and airglow are in view. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter.
Lunar observation taken by the Expedition 35 crew aboard the ISS. An Earth limb is in view.
Lunar observation taken during moonset by the Expedition 39 crew aboard the ISS. Earth and airglow are in view. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter.
Caption: This is a screen shot of the application the crew sees on their personal computing devices that guides them in the execution of the lunar science observation plan. This custom software was built by the crew lunar observations team, a subset of the Artemis II lunar science team. In this screenshot you can see Orientale basin, target number 12 circled on the bottom right of the Moon, and to its left, target number 13, Hertzsprung basin.
jsc2025e064769 --- An inflatable Moon is hoisted above the Orion mockup at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The Moon was used for crew lunar observation training ahead of the Artemis II mission.
jsc2025e064747 --- Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch, left, Artemis II lunar science team member Marie Henderson, Artemis II pilot Victor Glover, and Artemis II backup crew member Andre Douglas practice camera setup during crew lunar observations training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Artemis II crew lunar observations team member, David Charney, monitors the mission from the Science Evaluation Room (SER). Built specifically for Artemis missions with these science priorities in mind, the SER is equipped to support rapid data interpretation, collaborative analysis, real-time decision making, and seamless coordination between the science and operations teams. Credits: NASA/Luna Posadas Nava
Artemis II crew lunar observations team member, Alex Stoken, monitors the mission from the Science Evaluation Room (SER). Built specifically for Artemis missions with these science priorities in mind, the SER is equipped to support rapid data interpretation, collaborative analysis, real-time decision making, and seamless coordination between the science and operations teams. Credits: NASA/Luna Posadas Nava
jsc2025e064753 --- Artemis II crew members, from left, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, participate in crew lunar observations training in the Orion mockup at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The Artemis II lunar science team gathers for a kickoff meeting before working on the lunar targeting plan for the crew's lunar flyby. The Lunar Targeting Plan is the Artemis II crew's Moon observing assignment, and is fine-tuned to the exact lighting conditions on the Moon’s surface when the Artemis II crew flies by. Like a spacewalk plan, it provides strong, detailed guidance, plus flexibility for the crew to make decisions based on what they’re seeing and experiencing in real time. Targets are prioritized based on both their science value and their visibility at the time of observation. Credits: NASA/Luna Posadas Nava
NASA image captured October 7, 2010 View a video of this event here: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/5099028189">www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/5099028189</a> This was a first for SDO and it was visually engaging too. On October 7, 2010, SDO observed its first lunar transit when the new Moon passed directly between the spacecraft (in its geosynchronous orbit) and the Sun. With SDO watching the Sun in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light, the dark Moon created a partial eclipse of the Sun. These images, while unusual and cool to see, have practical value to the SDO science team. Karel Schrijver of Lockheed-Martin's Solar and Astrophysics Lab explains: "The very sharp edge of the lunar limb allows us to measure the in-orbit characteristics of the telescope e.g., light diffraction on optics and filter support grids. Once these are characterized, we can use that information to correct our data for instrumental effects and sharpen up the images to even more detail." To learn more about SDO go to: <a href="http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow">sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/</a> Credit: NASA/SDO <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b> <b>Join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>
Lunar observation taken during moonrise by Expedition 34 crewmember.
Lunar observation taken during moonrise by Expedition 34 crewmember.
Lunar observation taken during moonrise by Expedition 34 crewmember.
Lunar observation taken during moonrise by Expedition 34 crewmember.
Lunar observation taken during moonrise by Expedition 34 crewmember.
Lunar observation taken during moonset by the Expedition 39 crew aboard the ISS. Earth airglow is in view. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter.
Crew lunar observations team member, Sara Schmidt, left, asset manager, Luke McSherry, and Artemis deputy lunar science lead, Jacob Richardson work in the Science Evaluation Room (SER). Built specifically for Artemis missions with these science priorities in mind, the SER is equipped to support rapid data interpretation, collaborative analysis, real-time decision making, and seamless coordination between the science and operations teams. Credits: NASA/Luna Posadas Nava
ISS044E027165 (08/03/2015) --- A Full moon as seen from the International Space Station. Lunar observation taken by Expedition 44 crewmember NASA astronaut Scott Kelly Aug. 3, 2015.
On Nov. 7, 2018 for just under an hour, SDO viewed a lunar transit, when the Moon partially blocked SDO's view of the Sun. At its peak about 44% of the Sun was covered. In this view, the Sun was observed in extreme ultraviolet light and, as is customary, been given false color. SDO's orbit gives it two three-week periods per year when either the Earth or the Moon cross in front of the Sun. These transits provide scientific value as well: The sharp edge of the lunar limb helps researchers measure how light diffracts around the telescope's optics and filter support grids, allowing scientists to better calibrate their instruments for even sharper images. Movies available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA18142
jsc2025e064791 --- CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist for NASA’s Artemis II mission, foreground, and NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander, Reid Wiseman, participate in crew lunar observations training in the Orion mockup at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The Artemis II crew will be the first people in more than 50 years to set eyes on the far side of the Moon, depending on illumination conditions. They will document their observations through photographs, audio recordings, and more to inform our understanding of the Moon, and share their experience of being far from Earth.
jsc2025e064796 --- NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander, Reid Wiseman, foreground, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist for NASA’s Artemis II mission, participate in crew lunar observations training in the Orion mockup at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The Artemis II crew will be the first people in more than 50 years to set eyes on the far side of the Moon, depending on illumination conditions. They will document their observations through photographs, audio recordings, and more to inform our understanding of the Moon, and share their experience of being far from Earth.
jsc2025e086642 --- NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander, Reid Wiseman (foreground), and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist, practice lunar photography at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The Artemis II crew will be the first people in more than 50 years to set eyes on the far side of the Moon, depending on illumination conditions. They will document their observations through photographs, audio recordings, and more to inform our understanding of the Moon, and share their experience of being far from Earth. Credit: Kelsey Young
jsc2025e087135 --- NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander, Reid Wiseman (foreground), and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist, practice lunar photography at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The Artemis II crew will be the first people in more than 50 years to set eyes on the far side of the Moon, depending on illumination conditions. They will document their observations through photographs, audio recordings, and more to inform our understanding of the Moon, and share their experience of being far from Earth. Credit: Kelsey Young
art002e016247 (April 6, 2026) – Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover, on the left, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch, on the right, gather images and observations of the lunar surface to share with the world during the lunar flyby on the sixth day of the mission. The crew spent approximately seven hours taking turns at the windows of the Orion spacecraft as they flew around the far side of the Moon. At closest approach, they came within 4,067 miles of the Moon’s surface. Credit: NASA
art002e016195 (April 6, 2026) – Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover, on the left, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch, on the right, gather images and observations of the lunar surface to share with the world during the lunar flyby on the sixth day of the mission. The crew spent approximately seven hours taking turns at the windows of the Orion spacecraft as they flew around the far side of the Moon. At closest approach, they came within 4,067 miles of the Moon’s surface.
Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) team prepare MSolo flight hardware for shipment in preparation for launch in 2022. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo is part of four of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service missions where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries beginning in 2022 will perform science experiments, test technologies and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions.
Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) team prepare MSolo flight hardware for shipment in preparation for launch in 2022. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo is part of four of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service missions where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries beginning in 2022 will perform science experiments, test technologies and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions.
Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) team prepare MSolo flight hardware for shipment in preparation for launch in 2022. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo is part of four of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service missions where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries beginning in 2022 will perform science experiments, test technologies and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions.
Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) team prepare MSolo flight hardware for shipment in preparation for launch in 2022. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo is part of four of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service missions where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries beginning in 2022 will perform science experiments, test technologies and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions.
Technicians prepare the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) for NASA’s Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission for packing inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 21, 2023. MSolo will be shipped to Johnson Space Center in Houston for integration into VIPER. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo will be part of NASA’s first Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) mission where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions. VIPER is scheduled to be delivered to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2024 by Astrobotic’s Griffin lander as part of the CLPS initiative.
Technicians prepare the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) for NASA’s Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission for packing inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 21, 2023. MSolo will be shipped to Johnson Space Center in Houston for integration into VIPER. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo will be part of NASA’s first Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) mission where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions. VIPER is scheduled to be delivered to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2024 by Astrobotic’s Griffin lander as part of the CLPS initiative.
The Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) for NASA’s Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission is prepared for packing inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 21, 2023. MSolo will be shipped to Johnson Space Center in Houston for integration into VIPER. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo will be part of NASA’s first Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) mission where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions. VIPER is scheduled to be delivered to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2024 by Astrobotic’s Griffin lander as part of the CLPS initiative.
Preparations are underway to conduct a vibration test on the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) for NASA’s VIPER mission inside a laboratory in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 8, 2022. Exposing the instrument to vibration environments that it might see during launch helps engineers to find issues prior to liftoff. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo will be part of NASA’s first Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) mission where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions.
Technicians prepare the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) for NASA’s Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission for packing inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 21, 2023. MSolo will be shipped to Johnson Space Center in Houston for integration into VIPER. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo will be part of NASA’s first Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) mission where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions. VIPER is scheduled to be delivered to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2024 by Astrobotic’s Griffin lander as part of the CLPS initiative.
Preparations are underway to conduct a vibration test on the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) for NASA’s VIPER mission inside a laboratory in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 8, 2022. Exposing the instrument to vibration environments that it might see during launch helps engineers to find issues prior to liftoff. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo will be part of NASA’s first Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) mission where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions.
The Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) for NASA’s VIPER mission is being prepared for a vibration test inside a laboratory in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 8, 2022. Exposing the instrument to vibration environments that it might see during launch helps engineers to find issues prior to liftoff. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo will be part of NASA’s first Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) mission where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions.
A team of engineers and technicians finished the final assembly step for the MSOLO-2 (Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations) flight instrument by installing the Calibration Gas System inside of the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 21, 2023. MSOLO is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface.
A team of engineers and technicians finished the final assembly step for the MSOLO-2 (Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations) flight instrument by installing the Calibration Gas System inside of the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 21, 2023. MSOLO is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface.
A team of engineers and technicians finished the final assembly step for the MSOLO-2 (Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations) flight instrument by installing the Calibration Gas System inside of the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 21, 2023. MSOLO is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface.
A team of engineers and technicians finished the final assembly step for the MSOLO-2 (Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations) flight instrument by installing the Calibration Gas System inside of the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 21, 2023. MSOLO is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface.
Kennedy Space Center employee Chris Johnson, left, and Jamie Winfield of INFICON work with MSolo (Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations) test hardware at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 13, 2021. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified by the team at Kennedy to work in the harsh, rigorous conditions of the Moon. MSolo is heading to the Moon on four of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative or CLPS missions, including the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) and NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER. Kennedy is working in partnership with INFICON, of Syracuse, New York, to develop the mass spectrometer.
Kennedy Space Center employee Roberto Aguilar Ayala, left, and Ken Wright of INFICON work with MSolo (Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations) test hardware at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 13, 2021. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified by the team at Kennedy to work in the harsh, rigorous conditions of the Moon. MSolo is heading to the Moon on four of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative or CLPS missions, including the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) and NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER. Kennedy is working in partnership with INFICON, of Syracuse, New York, to develop the mass spectrometer.
From left to right, Kennedy Space Center employees Stefan Tomovic, Beau Peacock, and Chris Bond work with MSolo (Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations) test hardware at the Florida spaceport on July 13, 2021. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified by the team at Kennedy to work in the harsh, rigorous conditions of the Moon. MSolo is heading to the Moon on four of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative or CLPS missions, including the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) and NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER. Kennedy is working in partnership with INFICON, of Syracuse, New York, to develop the mass spectrometer.
Kennedy Space Center employees Alex Decamargo, left, and JoAnn Robinson work with MSolo (Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations) flight hardware at the Florida spaceport on July 13, 2021. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified by the team at Kennedy to work in the harsh, rigorous conditions of the Moon. MSolo is heading to the Moon on four of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative or CLPS missions, including the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) and NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER. Kennedy is working in partnership with INFICON, of Syracuse, New York, to develop the mass spectrometer.
Team members working inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Sept. 23, 2021, meticulously assemble ground support equipment that will protect shipment of the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) flight hardware for preparations before it launches in 2022. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo, scheduled to first launch in 2022, is part of four of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service missions where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries will include science experiments, testing of technologies and demonstrations of capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions.
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida prepare to install the radiator for the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. The radiator will help keep the instrument’s temperature stable in the extreme heat and cold it will encounter. MSolo instruments are scheduled to launch on multiple robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), with the first of these missions exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon, beginning in 2021. MSolo also will be one of three instruments on the agency’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, VIPER, scheduled to launch to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida install the radiator for the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. The radiator will help keep the instrument’s temperature stable in the extreme heat and cold it will encounter. MSolo instruments are scheduled to launch on multiple robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), with the first of these missions exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon, beginning in 2021. MSolo also will be one of three instruments on the agency’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, VIPER, scheduled to launch to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.
Team members working inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Sept. 23, 2021, meticulously assemble ground support equipment that will protect shipment of the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) flight hardware for preparations before it launches in 2022. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo, scheduled to first launch in 2022, is part of four of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service missions where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries will include science experiments, testing of technologies and demonstrations of capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions.
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida install the radiator for the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. The radiator will help keep the instrument’s temperature stable in the extreme heat and cold it will encounter. MSolo instruments are scheduled to launch on multiple robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), with the first of these missions exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon, beginning in 2021. MSolo also will be one of three instruments on the agency’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, VIPER, scheduled to launch to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida install the radiator for the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. The radiator will help keep the instrument’s temperature stable in the extreme heat and cold it will encounter. MSolo instruments are scheduled to launch on multiple robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), with the first of these missions exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon, beginning in 2021. MSolo also will be one of three instruments on the agency’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, VIPER, scheduled to launch to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida install the radiator for the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. The radiator will help keep the instrument’s temperature stable in the extreme heat and cold it will encounter. MSolo instruments are scheduled to launch on multiple robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), with the first of these missions exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon, beginning in 2021. MSolo also will be one of three instruments on the agency’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, VIPER, scheduled to launch to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.
The Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument is photographed inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida following installation of its radiator on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. The radiator will help keep the instrument’s temperature stable in the extreme heat and cold it will encounter. MSolo instruments are scheduled to launch on multiple robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), with the first of these missions exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon, beginning in 2021. MSolo also will be one of three instruments on the agency’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, VIPER, scheduled to launch to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida work with instruments for Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) inside the Space Station Processing on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. This work is preparing MSolo hardware for a robotic mission as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) launching to exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon in 2021. A future mission will send a mobile robot named the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the Moon to prospect for water. VIPER will have several instruments that will allow it to detect and sample water including MSolo, the Neutron Spectrometer System, the Near Infrared Volatiles Spectrometer System and The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT).
The Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument is photographed inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida following installation of its radiator on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. The radiator will help keep the instrument’s temperature stable in the extreme heat and cold it will encounter. MSolo instruments are scheduled to launch on multiple robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), with the first of these missions exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon, beginning in 2021. MSolo also will be one of three instruments on the agency’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, VIPER, scheduled to launch to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.
Instruments for the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) are in view inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. This work is preparing MSolo hardware for a robotic mission as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) launching to exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon in 2021. A future mission will send a mobile robot named the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the Moon to prospect for water. VIPER will have several instruments that will allow it to detect and sample water including MSolo, the Neutron Spectrometer System, the Near Infrared Volatiles Spectrometer System and The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT).
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida work with instruments for Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) inside the Space Station Processing on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. This work is preparing MSolo hardware for a robotic mission as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) launching to exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon in 2021. A future mission will send a mobile robot named the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the Moon to prospect for water. VIPER will have several instruments that will allow it to detect and sample water including MSolo, the Neutron Spectrometer System, the Near Infrared Volatiles Spectrometer System and The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT).
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida prepare to install the radiator for the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. The radiator will help keep the instrument’s temperature stable in the extreme heat and cold it will encounter. MSolo instruments are scheduled to launch on multiple robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), with the first of these missions exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon, beginning in 2021. MSolo also will be one of three instruments on the agency’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, VIPER, scheduled to launch to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida prepare to install the radiator for the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. The radiator will help keep the instrument’s temperature stable in the extreme heat and cold it will encounter. MSolo instruments are scheduled to launch on multiple robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), with the first of these missions exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon, beginning in 2021. MSolo also will be one of three instruments on the agency’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, VIPER, scheduled to launch to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida prepare to install the radiator for the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. The radiator will help keep the instrument’s temperature stable in the extreme heat and cold it will encounter. MSolo instruments are scheduled to launch on multiple robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), with the first of these missions exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon, beginning in 2021. MSolo also will be one of three instruments on the agency’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, VIPER, scheduled to launch to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida work with instruments for Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) inside the Space Station Processing on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. This work is preparing MSolo hardware for a robotic mission as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) launching to exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon in 2021. A future mission will send a mobile robot named the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the Moon to prospect for water. VIPER will have several instruments that will allow it to detect and sample water including MSolo, the Neutron Spectrometer System, the Near Infrared Volatiles Spectrometer System and The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT).
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida install the radiator for the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. The radiator will help keep the instrument’s temperature stable in the extreme heat and cold it will encounter. MSolo instruments are scheduled to launch on multiple robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), with the first of these missions exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon, beginning in 2021. MSolo also will be one of three instruments on the agency’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, VIPER, scheduled to launch to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida install the radiator for the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. The radiator will help keep the instrument’s temperature stable in the extreme heat and cold it will encounter. MSolo instruments are scheduled to launch on multiple robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), with the first of these missions exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon, beginning in 2021. MSolo also will be one of three instruments on the agency’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, VIPER, scheduled to launch to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida have prepped the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument’s radiator for installation inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. The radiator will help keep the instrument’s temperature stable in the extreme heat and cold it will encounter. MSolo instruments are scheduled to launch on multiple robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), with the first of these missions exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon, beginning in 2021. MSolo also will be one of three instruments on the agency’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, VIPER, scheduled to launch to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida are preparing the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) for launch inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo hardware is a payload for a robotic mission to the Moon as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) launching to exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon in 2021. A future mission will send a mobile robot named the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the Moon to prospect for water. VIPER will have several instruments that will allow it to detect and sample water including MSolo, the Neutron Spectrometer System, the Near Infrared Volatiles Spectrometer System and The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT).
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida work with instruments for Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) inside the Space Station Processing on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. This work is preparing MSolo hardware for a robotic mission as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) launching to exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon in 2021. A future mission will send a mobile robot named the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the Moon to prospect for water. VIPER will have several instruments that will allow it to detect and sample water including MSolo, the Neutron Spectrometer System, the Near Infrared Volatiles Spectrometer System and The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT).
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida install the radiator for the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. The radiator will help keep the instrument’s temperature stable in the extreme heat and cold it will encounter. MSolo instruments are scheduled to launch on multiple robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), with the first of these missions exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon, beginning in 2021. MSolo also will be one of three instruments on the agency’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, VIPER, scheduled to launch to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida install the radiator for the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. The radiator will help keep the instrument’s temperature stable in the extreme heat and cold it will encounter. MSolo instruments are scheduled to launch on multiple robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), with the first of these missions exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon, beginning in 2021. MSolo also will be one of three instruments on the agency’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, VIPER, scheduled to launch to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.
Team members working inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Sept. 23, 2021, meticulously assemble ground support equipment that will protect shipment of the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) flight hardware for preparations before it launches in 2022. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo, scheduled to first launch in 2022, is part of four of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service missions where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries will include science experiments, testing of technologies and demonstrations of capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions.
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida are preparing the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) for launch inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo hardware is a payload for a robotic mission to the Moon as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) launching to exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon in 2021. A future mission will send a mobile robot named the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the Moon to prospect for water. VIPER will have several instruments that will allow it to detect and sample water including MSolo, the Neutron Spectrometer System, the Near Infrared Volatiles Spectrometer System and The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT).
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida install the radiator for the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument inside the Space Station Processing Facility on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. The radiator will help keep the instrument’s temperature stable in the extreme heat and cold it will encounter. MSolo instruments are scheduled to launch on multiple robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), with the first of these missions exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon, beginning in 2021. MSolo also will be one of three instruments on the agency’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, VIPER, scheduled to launch to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida work with instruments for Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) inside the Space Station Processing on Sept. 25, 2020. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. This work is preparing MSolo hardware for a robotic mission as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) launching to exploring Lacus Mortis, a large crater on the near side of the Moon in 2021. A future mission will send a mobile robot named the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the Moon to prospect for water. VIPER will have several instruments that will allow it to detect and sample water including MSolo, the Neutron Spectrometer System, the Near Infrared Volatiles Spectrometer System and The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT).
Electronics Engineer and Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) team member Nate Cain conducts electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing inside the EMI Laboratory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 14, 2022. The tests will verify that MSolo can control the emissions it will produce during its missions and meets EMI susceptibility requirements as part of its preparation to operate in the lunar environment. The third MSolo to go through EMI testing, this is an engineering development unit representative of the flight unit manifested to fly to the Moon’s South Pole as a payload on the agency’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) in 2023. Researchers and engineers are preparing MSolo instruments to launch on four robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) – the first of which is slated for later this year. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, with the later missions also studying water on the lunar surface.
Electronics Engineer and Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) team member Nate Cain conducts electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing inside the EMI Laboratory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 14, 2022. The tests will verify that MSolo can control the emissions it will produce during its missions and meets EMI susceptibility requirements as part of its preparation to operate in the lunar environment. The third MSolo to go through EMI testing, this is an engineering development unit representative of the flight unit manifested to fly to the Moon’s South Pole as a payload on the agency’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) in 2023. Researchers and engineers are preparing MSolo instruments to launch on four robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) – the first of which is slated for later this year. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, with the later missions also studying water on the lunar surface.
NASA’s Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) undergoes electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing inside the EMI Laboratory at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 14, 2022. These tests will verify that MSolo can control the emissions it will produce during its missions and meets EMI susceptibility requirements as part of its preparation to operate in the lunar environment. The third MSolo to go through EMI testing, this is an engineering development unit representative of the flight unit manifested to fly to the Moon’s South Pole as a payload on the agency’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) in 2023. Researchers and engineers are preparing MSolo to launch on four robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) – the first of which is slated for later this year. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, with the later missions also studying water on the lunar surface.
Electronics Engineer and Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) team member Nate Cain conducts electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing inside the EMI Laboratory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 14, 2022. These tests will verify that MSolo can control the emissions it will produce during its missions and meets EMI susceptibility requirements as part of its preparation to operate in the lunar environment. The third MSolo to go through EMI testing, this is an engineering development unit representative of the flight unit manifested to fly to the Moon’s South Pole as a payload on the agency’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) in 2023. Researchers and engineers are preparing MSolo instruments to launch on four robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) – the first of which is slated for later this year. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, with the later missions also studying water on the lunar surface.
Karma Snyder, a project manager at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center, was a senior design engineer on the RL10 liquid rocket engine that powered the Centaur, the upper stage of the rocket used in NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission in October 2009. Part of the LCROSS mission was to search for water on the moon by striking the lunar surface with a rocket stage, creating a plume of debris that could be analyzed for water ice and vapor. Snyder's work on the RL10 took place from 1995 to 2001 when she was a senior design engineer with Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. Years later, she sees the project as one of her biggest accomplishments in light of the LCROSS mission. 'It's wonderful to see it come into full service,' she said. 'As one of my co-workers said, the original dream was to get that engine to the moon, and we're finally realizing that dream.'
Nate Cain, an electronics engineer with the Advanced Engineering Development Branch at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, prepares to conduct electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing for the agency’s Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument inside the EMI Laboratory on Feb. 14, 2022. These tests will verify that MSolo can control the emissions it will produce during its missions and meets EMI susceptibility requirements as part of its preparation to operate in the lunar environment. The third MSolo to go through EMI testing, this is an engineering development unit representative of the flight unit manifested to fly to the Moon’s South Pole as a payload on the agency’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) in 2023. Researchers and engineers are preparing MSolo instruments to launch on four robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) – the first of which is slated for later this year. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, with the later missions also studying water on the lunar surface.
ISS032-E-011477 (1 Aug. 2012) --- One of the Expedition 32 crew members aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station captured this image of the full moon on Aug. 1, 2012. Because of the home planet's atmosphere, it is not easy at first sighting to recognize the heavenly body as the full moon. Another picture in this series depicts a totally different image of Earth's natural satellite because of the lack of distortion caused by the atmosphere.
ISS032-E-011472 (1 Aug. 2012) --- One of the Expedition 32 crew members aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station captured this image of the full moon on Aug. 1, 2012. Other pictures in this series depict a totally different image of Earth's natural satellite because of distortion caused by the atmosphere.
ISS032-E-011478 (1 Aug. 2012) --- One of the Expedition 32 crew members aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station captured this image of the full moon on Aug. 1, 2012. Because of the home planet's atmosphere, it is not easy at first sighting to recognize the slice as the full moon. Another picture in this series depicts a totally different image of Earth's natural satellite because of the lack of distortion caused by the atmosphere.
ISS028-E-020072 (31 July 2011) --- Photographed by an Expedition 28 crew member onboard the International Space Station, this image shows the moon at center, with the limb of Earth near the bottom transitioning into the orange-colored troposphere, the lowest and most dense portion of the Earth's atmosphere. The troposphere ends abruptly at the tropopause, which appears in the image as the sharp boundary between the orange- and blue- colored atmosphere. The silvery-blue noctilucent clouds extend far above the Earth's troposphere.
ISS032-E-011476 (1 Aug. 2012) --- One of the Expedition 32 crew members aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station captured this image of the full moon on Aug. 1, 2012. Because of the home planet's atmosphere, it is not easy at first sighting to recognize the heavenly body as the full moon. Another picture in this series depicts a totally different image of Earth's natural satellite because of the lack of distortion caused by the atmosphere.
ISS028-E-020073 (31 July 2011) --- Photographed by an Expedition 28 crew member onboard the International Space Station, this image shows the moon at center, with the limb of Earth near the bottom transitioning into the orange-colored troposphere, the lowest and most dense portion of the Earth's atmosphere. The troposphere ends abruptly at the tropopause, which appears in the image as the sharp boundary between the orange- and blue- colored atmosphere. The silvery-blue noctilucent clouds extend far above the Earth's troposphere.
ISS045E079114 (10/25/2015) -------- This image of the lunar landscape was taken by a crewmember aboard the International Space Station on Oct. 25, 2015
ISS032-E-008651 (21 July 2012) --- From over the Southern Indian Ocean about 155 miles (250 kilometers) northeast of Possession Island on July 21, 2012, one of the members of the Expedition 32 crew took this photo of the waxing crescent moon with 7 per cent of the moon?s visible disk illuminated, giving it an unusual appearance.
S131-E-011411 (18 April 2010) --- A crescent last quarter moon is featured in this image photographed by an STS-131 crew member on the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Discovery.
iss069e037324 (July 26, 2023) -- Earth's Moon in first quarter phase as United Arab Emirates (UAE) Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi captured this photo aboard the International Space Station.
Instruments for NASA’s Mars Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) are in view at left in the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on May 16, 2019. The center is celebrating the SSPF’s 25th anniversary. The facility was built to process elements for the International Space Station. Now it is providing support for current and future NASA and commercial provider programs, including Commercial Resupply Services, Artemis 1, sending the first woman and next man to the Moon, and deep space destinations including Mars.
Instruments for NASA’s Mars Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) are in view at left in the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on May 16, 2019. The center is celebrating the SSPF’s 25th anniversary. The facility was built to process elements for the International Space Station. Now it is providing support for current and future NASA and commercial provider programs, including Commercial Resupply Services, Artemis 1, sending the first woman and next man to the Moon, and deep space destinations including Mars.
jsc2025e056603 --- The Artemis II Lunar Science Team runs a simulation of lunar observation operations in the new Science Evaluation Room (SER) that serves as a backroom to Mission Control.
International Year of Asronomy 'Observe the Moon Night' public event on Shenandoah Plaza, located in NASA Research Park at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. The moon observation eent featured dozens of telescopes set up by local amateur astronomers and astronomy clubs for the public to view the surface o the moon and other celestial objects. NASA experts will be on hand to provide information about NASA's plans for lunar exploration, including the recently launch Lunar Crater Observation Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) and Lunar Reconnaissance Obriter (LRO) missions.
International Year of Asronomy 'Observe the Moon Night' public event on Shenandoah Plaza, located in NASA Research Park at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. The moon observation eent featured dozens of telescopes set up by local amateur astronomers and astronomy clubs for the public to view the surface o the moon and other celestial objects. NASA experts will be on hand to provide information about NASA's plans for lunar exploration, including the recently launch Lunar Crater Observation Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) and Lunar Reconnaissance Obriter (LRO) missions.
International Year of Asronomy 'Observe the Moon Night' public event on Shenandoah Plaza, located in NASA Research Park at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. The moon observation eent featured dozens of telescopes set up by local amateur astronomers and astronomy clubs for the public to view the surface o the moon and other celestial objects. NASA experts will be on hand to provide information about NASA's plans for lunar exploration, including the recently launch Lunar Crater Observation Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) and Lunar Reconnaissance Obriter (LRO) missions.
International Year of Asronomy 'Observe the Moon Night' public event on Shenandoah Plaza, located in NASA Research Park at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. The moon observation eent featured dozens of telescopes set up by local amateur astronomers and astronomy clubs for the public to view the surface o the moon and other celestial objects. NASA experts will be on hand to provide information about NASA's plans for lunar exploration, including the recently launch Lunar Crater Observation Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) and Lunar Reconnaissance Obriter (LRO) missions.
art002e014256 (April 6, 2026) – CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut and Artemis II Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen is seen making observations through the Orion spacecraft window early in the Artemis II lunar flyby. Due to last approximately seven hours, the lunar observation period was the duration of time that the crew is close enough to the Moon to make impactful science observations (4,070 miles altitude at closest approach) and the spacecraft was oriented such that the windows are pointed at the Moon. Credit: NASA
Goddard's Laser Ranging Facility directs a laser toward the Lunar Reconassaince Orbiter on International Observe the Moon Night. (Sept 18, 2010) Background on laser ranging: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/news/LRO_lr.html" rel="nofollow">www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/news/LRO_lr.html</a> Information on inOMN <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/features/2010/moon-night.html" rel="nofollow">www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/features/2010/moon-nigh...</a> Credit: NASA/GSFC <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> contributes to NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s endeavors by providing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b> <b>Join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>
Artemis lunar science team member, Alexandra Constantinou, works in the Science Mission Operations Room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where scientists analyzed imagery and audio recordings of lunar observations captured by the Artemis II astronauts during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026. Credits: NASA/Helen Arase Vargas
Artemis lunar science team member, Aaron Regberg, works in the Science Mission Operations Room, where scientists analyzed imagery and audio recordings of lunar observations captured by the Artemis II astronauts during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026.