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As NASA’s Artemis 2 crew careened around the far side of the Moon earlier this week — breaking the record for how far humans have ever traveled from Earth in the process — they were treated to an incredible view.
As they cruised past the Moon’s heavily-crated far side, the astronauts watched in amazement as micrometeorites impacted the lunar surface, catching both them and mission control off guard. The mission’s crew said they witnessed at least six impacts on the lunar far side during the almost-one-hour-long total solar eclipse as the Sun went out of view behind the Earth from their perspective.
There were “audible screams of delight” at Mission Control in Houston, as mission science lead Kelsey Young recalled during a Tuesday press conference.
“There was a little giddiness,” NASA astronaut and commander Reid Wiseman told Houston during the observation period. “We have seen three impact flashes so far. I saw two, and [mission specialist Jeremy Hansen] has seen one.”
“Undoubtedly quick impact flashes,” he said, adding that “it was not Sun glint off a particulate from the thrusters or the burns tanks.”
“And Jeremy just saw another one,” Wiseman added.
The face on Young said it all. The livestream showed her jaw hitting the floor as she looked around the room at Mission Control in disbelief.
“I don’t know if I expected to have the crew see any on this mission, so you probably saw the surprise and shock on my face,” she later recalled.
While the team said that they already got what they came for — astonishing close-up views of the lunar surface and its unusual geographical features — the constant bombardment of tiny meteorites was unexpected.
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