WhenArtemis IIIlands near the South Pole of the Moon in a few twelvemonth , the astronauts will be equipped with a brand - novel camera for effigy and even videos . The prototype currently being tested is made from off - the - ledge television camera role , high - calibre lenses , and NASA ’s bespoke modifications to make it moonshine - proof . It can function in temperatures from -200 to 120 ° C ( -328 to 248 ° F ) , has protection against dust , and buttons designed to be used by astronauts wear chunky space gloves .
The Handheld Universal Lunar Camera ( HULC ) was tested by astronauts Thomas Pesquet from the European Space Agency , NASA ’s Jessica Wittner , and Takuya Onishi from the Japanese Space Agency as part of the PANGAEA training line which provide astronauts with the cognition and skill to be good field scientist in the future exploration of the Moon and Mars .
The three were complete their training on the volcanic island of Lanzarote in the Atlantic in both spacious daytime and in dark volcanic caves to simulate potential succeeding utmost scenario for lunar photography .
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet holding the HULC.Image Credit: ESA–A. Romeo
“ The engineer have done a really good job reconfiguring the clit and stage them in a wide-eyed yet honest protection for the television camera , ” Pesquet said in astatement .
The Apollo teams had standalonemechanical Hasselblad camerasand across the entire mission , 1,407 photo were taken on the Moon . The Artemis III missionary post alone is likely to take more picture than that – not because the astronauts will have more sightseeing meter , most of it will be science employment , but because the camera will allow for a quite a little more images to be captured and stored .
“ The lunar camera will be one of many tools they will demand to palm on the Moon , so it should be easy to use . The human factor is a big sight for us , because you desire the camera to be intuitive and not assess on the crew , ” excuse Jeremy Myers , NASA ’s lead for the HULC camera .
“ We are attempt to take the good lens system for the Moon shots and optimize the preferences in a smart way . We want astronauts to be able to take a elaborated figure of a crystal clear social organization in a rock candy and to capture landscapes , all with the right exposure . ”
The television camera will continue to be test and better , but the team is confident that Artemis III will have the best possible product to shoot incredible picture taking and footage on the Moon .
