NASA releases 800GB of moon data: What did Artemis II astronauts see around the moon?

Five tiny flashes appeared on the Moon while three Artemis II astronauts were watching from Orion. They were barely visible, NASA describes them as “pinprick” bursts of light, but the crew noticed them, marked their locations by hand and recorded what they saw. Now, those observations are part of more than 800GB of lunar science data released by NASA.

The collection gives scientists and the public access to what the four Artemis II astronauts saw and recorded during their trip around the Moon. It contains more than 11,000 full-resolution images and video, 8.5 hours of audio recordings and images carrying annotations made by the crew. Some of the material had not been released before.

Five Faint Flashes on the Moon

The flashes were spotted while the crew was on the far side of the Moon during a planned communications blackout.


Orion was about 46,000 miles from the Moon when the astronauts reported seeing the five faint bursts. Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen marked impact flashes and their locations on an image using handwritten annotations.

NASA’s preliminary science report says the flashes came from rocky fragments striking the lunar surface. Scientists considered other possible explanations, including cosmic rays and reflections from the spacecraft, before confirming the sightings.

The observations were part of the mission’s planned science activities.

The Moon Looked Different to the Astronauts

The crew was paying attention to much more than impact flashes.

Color was one of the things they recorded during their observations. NASA says the astronauts reported seeing gray, black, brown, tan, white, green and blue across the lunar surface. They also noted differences in color and brightness.

The astronauts photographed geological features as they passed the Moon, including impact craters and ancient lava flows. Their descriptions covered differences in shapes, textures and colors, details NASA says can help reveal the geological history of an area.

The photographs show what the crew captured, while the recordings and annotations show what they were noticing as they looked at the Moon.

Seven Hours of Looking Closely at the Moon

The observations were not simply a matter of pointing cameras out of Orion's windows.

During the seven-hour lunar observation period, the astronauts reported what they were seeing to teams on the ground. They had trained in lunar geography, geology and observational techniques before the mission, and they made decisions during the flight about which features to observe and photograph.

Lighting also played a role.

Near the Moon’s terminator, the boundary between its illuminated and dark sides, sunlight reaches the surface at a low angle. That creates long shadows, making the shape and depth of craters easier to see. NASA’s released material includes observations of craters, ridges, terrain and color.

What NASA Has Released Now

NASA has placed more than 800GB of Artemis II lunar science data in its Planetary Data System, the agency’s public archive for planetary missions.

There are more than 11,000 full-resolution Moon images and videos from handheld cameras and cameras aboard Orion. There are also 8.5 hours of audio in which the astronauts recorded their scientific observations, along with images they annotated themselves.

NASA describes the collection as the first planetary science dataset captured primarily by humans in more than half a century. The agency says the photographs, audio and crew notes complement decades of observations from Apollo astronauts and robotic explorers.

Artemis II’s Moon Record Is Public

NASA released the Artemis II Preliminary Lunar Science Report along with the Artemis II Lunar Science Operations Report and the Artemis II Lunar Science Data User Guide.

The three publications cover the mission’s lunar science data and activities and explain how its science plan was developed and carried out. NASA says the information is already helping inform exploration plans for Artemis III and beyond.

Artemis II launched on April 1, 2026, carrying Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen aboard Orion. The crew traveled to the Moon and back, returning to Earth on April 10.