When in a few years the Artemis 3 astronauts become the first people to set foot on the Moon since Eugene Cernan, from Apollo 17, last did so on December 14, 1972, that moment will most likely be immortalized by a camera that has already passed the test of the place on Earth that most resembles it, Lanzarote.
NASA has published in recent hours on its social networks a photo of astronaut Jessica Wittner taking some photos of rock formations inside the volcanic tube of La Corona, during the latest edition of the training programs organized each year in Lanzarote by the European Space Agency (ESA).
What's so special about that image? Well, it is the first to show the prototype camera that the United States space agency has commissioned for the crew of the lunar missions, a development of the Nikon Z9 model mounted in a thermal protection box and with a handle and buttons designed to be operated with thick gloves, such as those of a spacesuit.
Some details of that camera were already known in October of last year, when it was used in the Canary Islands by ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet; Jessica Wittner, from NASA; and Takuya Onishi, from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Now, NASA explains in a statement that it has already closed an agreement with Nikon on what the final model will be like, which will premiere when the first mission to the surface of the Moon - if there are no setbacks, Artemis III - lands on the south pole of the satellite.
"Photographing the lunar south pole region requires a modern camera with specialized capabilities to manage the extreme lighting conditions and temperatures unique to the area. The agreement allows NASA to have a space-ready camera on the lunar surface without having to develop one from scratch," the space agency notes.
The previous prototype underwent examinations in simulated lunar walks in the Arizona desert (USA) and in Lanzarote and is being refined with thermal, vacuum and radiation tests at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville (Alabama).
The camera, the first mirrorless to be used on the Moon, will incorporate the latest imaging technology and will have modified electrical components to minimize problems caused by radiation, ensuring that the camera works as intended.
However, before the time comes to embark it on one of the rockets of the Artemis lunar program, it will pass its final tests at the International Space Station, NASA details.
"During the Apollo program, crew members took more than 18,000 photographs using modified large-format handheld cameras. However, those cameras did not have viewfinders, so astronauts were trained to aim from chest level, where the camera was attached in front of the spacesuit," the space agency highlights.
In addition, it adds, Apollo program astronauts were forced to use separate cameras for photos and videos. In contrast, the new lunar camera will have a viewfinder and capabilities to capture still images and videos on the same device.
NASA recalls that the Artemis program will take a woman, a non-white person, and an astronaut from a space agency from another country to the Moon for the first time, with the purpose of "paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a springboard to send the first astronauts to Mars."
