ESA – Moon vision

Engineers, scientists and astronauts tested the Handheld Universal Lunar Camera (HULC) to improve its design for NASA’s future Artemis missions on the lunar surface. The international team explored new possibilities for the camera that astronauts will use during the Artemis III mission, such as telephoto lenses, flash settings and an eyepiece.

The Artemis Moon camera is built from a modified Nikon model and is equipped with a thermal blanket developed by NASA that protects it from dust and extreme temperatures – from minus 200 to 120 degrees Celsius – on the lunar surface. The camera’s buttons are rearranged using a NASA-designed grip for easier handling by astronauts wearing thick gloves during moonwalks. 

During the training, ESA’s Rosemary Coogan and Arnaud Prost, together with Norishige Kanai from the Japanese space agency JAXA, tested the camera’s performance in realistic, lunar-like scenarios for geological exploration.

Lunar settings

New research based on lessons learned from the Apollo program has shown that astronauts’ perception of distances and slopes is altered on the surface of the Moon, affecting how they interact with the terrain. Zooming in on the landscape could guide decisions about where to go first.

“If the crew wants to see farther beyond the landing site, a telephoto lens would allow them to take images of distant objects and decide which way to explore,” explains Jeremy Myers, NASA’s lead for the HULC camera.

This was the second time that Jeremy joined PANGAEA, and the first time the trainees tried out a 200 mm telephoto lens with HULC. “The camera captured a great amount of detail from a distance, something that would exceed anything that had ever been seen before on the Moon. This trial was a fantastic starting point to evaluate the level of detail future explorers could get from the camera,” he adds.

HULC will be the first mirrorless camera for handheld use on the lunar surface and promises to provide sharp images in low light. The Artemis III landing site on the South Pole of the Moon is close to permanently shadowed craters.

The PANGAEA crew took pictures in broad daylight, but also inside dark caves to simulate extreme conditions for lunar photography. “We used a flash for the first time in a lava tube with Norishige Kanai, who has been to the International Space Station and was familiar with the challenges of taking pictures during spacewalks,” says Jeremy.

Another upgrade being considered by NASA’s Artemis imagery team is adding an eyepiece to the camera. Rosemary, Arnaud and Norishige tested how a modified eyepiece worked compared to the back screen on the camera, while considering the limitations of using it when wearing a spacesuit.

The human factor

Feedback from the astronauts is crucial to developing the best camera for the job. “Inputs from the trainees help us refine the ergonomics and redundancy of the camera to make missions as productive as possible,” adds Jeremy.

Rosemary Coogan worked with HULC during the geology expeditions in Lanzarote, after handling the camera during her basic astronaut training  at ESA’s site in the Netherlands in 2023.

Earlier this year, the camera was part of a simulated moonwalk during the JETT5 mission in Arizona, USA, with NASA astronauts Kate Rubins and Andre Douglas.

The Artemis III crew will use training units of the Moon camera for further tests in 2025.

Science value

PANGAEA prepares astronauts to become effective field scientists. Capturing the best images will be key to documenting scientific discoveries during future Moon missions.

Jeremy reviewed the quality of the images with some of Europe’s best planetary scientists. “The geology team was quite excited about the use of 70 to 200 mm lenses in the field,” he says.

“The camera captured a great amount of detail in both shadowed and highly illuminated areas – something of paramount importance on the Moon, considering the high variability of illumination conditions on the lunar surface,” adds planetary geologist and PANGAEA instructor Matteo Massironi.

During the geological field trips, astronauts documented their exploration using the ESA Electronic Field Book – a tool that allows PANGAEA’s geology instructors to follow and support the crew from the science room. This year, HULC was integrated into the system, enabling the science room to view images from the camera remotely during some of the operations.

Moon challenges

Developing a camera that can operate in the harsh lunar environment is not easy. The camera has modified electrical components to minimise issues caused by radiation.

Loss of signal during PANGAEA between the camera and the science teams proved to be a useful challenge in recreating bandwidth issues on the Moon.

To work around blackouts, the crew tested the capability of transmitting only a selection of images back to ground control.

“We spent a lot of time in the lab with the camera, thinking about what the challenges could be, but only when we test it in a realistic scenario, can we broaden our perspective and improve the design. Every time we collaborate with ESA’s PANGAEA, we get even more out of it than we had expected,” explains Jeremy.

“At the end of the day, we all want to end up with the best product – a space-rated camera that will capture amazing Moon pictures for humankind,” he concludes.

For more Moon-like shots, check ESA’s PANGAEA gallery with Artemis camera tests in Lanzarote, Spain.