You know how the saying goes, “Shoot for the Moon and you’ll land amongst 13 carefully selected candidate regions”
As we prepare to send astronauts back to the Moon, 13 possible landing regions have been identified near the lunar South Pole. Each region contains multiple landing sites for Artemis III, which will be the first of the @NASAArtemis missions to bring the humans to the lunar surface – including the first woman to set foot on the Moon.
Each of these regions are located within six degrees of latitude from the lunar South Pole, and collectively, contain diverse geologic features. Teams considered specific landing criteria along with Artemis III science objectives, like their location by a permanently shadowed region where there is water ice. Specific landing sites are tightly coupled to the timing of launch window, so multiple regions ensure flexibility to launch throughout the year.
Image description: The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbits above the Pacific Ocean north of the Hawaiian island chain. The blackness of space fades into the blue atmosphere of Earth, as islands with minimal clouds are scattered below.
