When astronauts return to the Moon, they will take more pictures of the lunar surface than any humans before. To develop the best camera for the job, European astronauts and scientists are lending a helping hand to NASA’s Artemis imagery team.Astronauts use the Handheld Universal Lunar Camera to document field exploration in the lunar-like landscapes of Lanzarote, Spain. Credit: ESA–A. Romeo
One of the most prolific European photographers in orbit, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, praised the design after using it at PANGAEA. “The engineers have done a really good job reconfiguring the buttons and arranging them in a simple yet reliable protection for the camera,” he says. Together with some of Europe’s best planetary scientists, Jeremy reviewed the quality of the images. “It was very useful to have the geologists’ point of view to make sure the photos had the right resolution, depth of field, and exposure to maximize the science results,” he adds.
The camera will also record videos. Videos can provide situational awareness to the ground teams and help document the exploration of our nearest cosmic neighbor. ESA career astronaut Rosemary Coogan holds the Handheld Universal Lunar Camera during an imagery meeting with NASA in the Netherlands. Credit: ESA – A. Conigli