See the stunning dark side of the moon with NASA’s ShadowCam

As part of National Geographic’s Space Issue, we’re getting an exclusive first look at the progress we’ve made since the first moon landing decades ago.

The famous saying “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” was said 54 years ago. Now, NASA may have just taken a small step toward its dream of human space colonies.

Scientists are now able to take a closer look at the mysterious and unexplored South Pole region of the Moon, identifying potential landing sites for NASA’s planned Artemis 3 mission in 2025, which will send the first woman and person of color to the Moon.

“Initially, we will send four astronauts to the moon,” said Jacob Bletcher, NASA’s chief exploration scientist. “Two of the astronauts will remain in orbit while traveling to the lunar surface. This opens up the possibility of sending more crews and staying on the lunar surface for longer periods of time.”

The exclusive National Geographic photos in this month’s magazine feature the cutting-edge ShadowCam, a lunar instrument capable of photographing in extremely low light conditions with unprecedented detail.Or, in this case, the dark side of the moon

Scientists hope to find ice deposits in areas that could potentially support a long-term stay on the moon, if the ice could provide water

“Some of this ice, if present in these craters, could serve as a resource to help us explore other parts of the moon and the entire solar system,” Bletcher said. “This is how we learn to survive in space and explore the solar system around us. .”

Visit natgeo.com to learn about NASA innovations since the first moon landing.