Talking About the Moon During a Lunar Eclipse
NASA’s Artemis II mission will send four astronauts on a flyby mission around the far side of the Moon—the mission could launch at the beginning of April 2026.
Are there any science experiments that astronauts can do when they fly around the Moon? During our live stream of the total lunar eclipse on March 3, we put that question to Dr. Noah Petro, the Chief of NASA’s Planetary Geology, Geophysics and Geochemistry Lab at the Goddard Space Flight Center near Washington, DC.
You can hear Noah’s answer in the 2-minute video clip below.
Talking About the Moon During Breakfast
Meanwhile, during the buildup to the March 3 eclipse, timeanddate’s Anne Buckle and Dr. Renate Mauland-Hus were invited onto “God Morgen Norge”, the most popular morning TV show in Norway (where we’re based).
Renate was asked about why humans are returning to the Moon. “A key part of it is about science and technology,” says Renate. “There is still a whole lot to learn about our Moon—and about extended space travel in general.
“Another reason is exploration, and wanting to establish a more permanent presence on the Moon, with lunar bases and an orbiting space station. These would not only be great locations for research, but also a springboard to Mars and eventually further out into the solar system.”
