Artemis II Astronauts Witnessed 6 Meteorites Colliding With the Moon

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https://www.wired.com/story/artemis-ii-astronauts-witnessed-6-meteorites-collide-with-the-moon/

Artemis II Astronauts Witnessed 6 Meteorites Colliding With the Moon
The moon gets hit by space debris all the time, but some of the impacts 
are so large you can see them with the naked eye from thousands of 
kilometers away.
A new photo of the far hemisphere of the moon with the Earth in the 
background.
A new photo of the far hemisphere of the moon, with the Earth in the 
background.Photograph: NASA

During their flyby of the far side of the moon, the Artemis II 
astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft saw as many as six flashes 
emerging from the lunar surface. Surprisingly, they were witnessing 
small meteorites impacting the ground and producing brief flashes of light.

NASA's control room recorded the team's surprise during the mission 
livestream, although the cameras did not pick up the flashes. According 
to the astronauts, the flashes were white or blue-white and lasted less 
than a second. The cameras they were using to document the moon weren't 
fast enough to record them.

Foto del polo sur de la luna
Lunar surface replete with craters generated by meteorite collisions. 
Photograph: NASA
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The crew was flying between 6,000 and 7,000 kilometers away. Under 
normal conditions, these impacts would have gone unnoticed. However, at 
the time they were studying the solar eclipse, which left the far side 
of the moon completely dark. That extreme contrast allowed them to 
distinguish the brief flashes that emerged from the surface.

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Before the trip, the Artemis II team trained to identify possible 
meteorite impacts on the moon. They immediately recognized what they 
were seeing and reported it according to their protocols. NASA later 
confirmed that these were natural collisions on the satellite, a 
scenario they have been monitoring for years. The agency has not yet 
released a statement, but the conversation was recorded on the YouTube 
livestream.

Solar eclipse as seen by the Artemis II mission. Photographs like this 
will help researchers study the behavior of the...
It was during this solar eclipse that the astronauts saw most of the 
impact flashes. Photograph: NASA
The Problem of Meteorites on the Moon
Since the idea of building permanent lunar bases first arose, different 
teams have assessed the risks to future inhabitants. Today, the two 
major challenges are “moonquakes” and meteorite impacts. For the former, 
there are plans to install seismographs to help understand the 
phenomenon. For the meteorites, astronomers already know the approximate 
frequency, and observations such as the six recent flashes help to 
refine existing models.

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On Earth, the atmosphere destroys most meteorites before they reach the 
ground. Only the larger ones make it through, and it's a rare scenario. 
The moon lacks that protective layer, which means any fragment of space 
rock ends up impacting the surface. The hundreds of millions of lunar 
craters prove it.

In space exploration, even small objects can pose a risk. For example, a 
micrometeorite traveling at tens of kilometers per second can puncture 
thin materials or damage essential equipment. Fragments whose surface 
area exceed centimeters act as high-energy projectiles, similar to 
bullets, and could compromise a habitat. Objects larger than 1 meter 
across generate craters; while they're extremely rare, they pose a real 
risk.

Space
Artemis II’s Breathtaking View of the Far Side of the Moon
By Jorge Garay

Even so, space agencies are already contemplating these scenarios. 
Future lunar exploration suits will incorporate multilayer covers and 
pressure sensors to reduce the risk of micrometeorite punctures. 
Habitats will follow the same logic and add additional shielding in the 
most exposed areas. There are even plans to build research centers 
inside caves and craters to reduce exposure.

At NASA, calm prevails. The fact that Artemis II has seen six luminous 
impacts in less than a day does not mean the risk for future missions 
increases. This was the first time in decades that a crew observed the 
far side of the moon in complete darkness. The lunar surface is 
constantly being hit. The rare thing is to have human eyes seeing it 
happen in real time.

This story originally appeared in WIRED en Español and has been 
translated from Spanish.