NASA Releases 800GB of Artemis II Lunar Data to the Public
NASA has made available around 800 gigabytes of data from the Artemis II mission, which chronicles the crew's journey back from the moon's far side. The collection features 11,000 images, 8.5 hours of audio recordings, notes from astronauts, and photographs of the Orion capsule. This represents the first human-collected planetary science data in over five decades, reminiscent of the Apollo missions. In conjunction with the data release, NASA published three reports: the Artemis II Preliminary Lunar Science Report, the Lunar Science Operations Report, and the Lunar Science Data User Guide. The scientific community can access this information through the Planetary Data System. Initial analyses identified five meteoroid impacts during a 54-minute eclipse, which will assist in preparing for future lunar missions.
Key facts
- NASA released about 800 gigabytes of Artemis II scientific data to the public.
- The archive includes 11,000 full-resolution images and videos, 8.5 hours of spoken observations, astronaut notes, transcripts, and Orion capsule camera photographs.
- NASA describes it as the first planetary science data obtained outside Earth and mostly directly by humans in more than half a century.
- Three reports were released: the Artemis II Preliminary Lunar Science Report, the Artemis II Lunar Science Operations Report, and the Artemis II Lunar Science Data User Guide.
- Access is open to all but primarily intended for the scientific community.
- Five small meteoroid impacts were detected on the lunar surface during the 54-minute eclipse observed by the Orion crew.
- Data is centralized in NASA's Planetary Data System, with an additional Artemis II science page for reports, photos, and audio.
- Photographs near the terminator will help astronauts prepare for south pole conditions on future Artemis missions.
Entities
Institutions
- NASA
- Orion
- Artemis II
- Apollo
- Planetary Data System
- WIRED en Español
- WIRED
Locations
- Earth
- Moon
- South Pole