Artemis science officers watch lunar science team celebrating -- jsc2026e020499

Artemis science officers, from left, Angela Garcia and Kelsey Young, watch the lunar science team celebrating in the Science Evaluation Room (SER) as they hear lunar observations from the Artemis II crew. The science team has spent years training the astronauts in geology and observation, both in the classroom and in the field. They also built the lunar targeting plan that, like a spacewalk plan, provides strong, detailed observation guidance, plus flexibility for the crew to make decisions based on what they’re seeing and experiencing in real time. The science team had many moments of celebration during the lunar flyby as the astronauts took pictures of the Moon and provided verbal descriptions of what they were seeing. This type of information reveals the geologic history of an area and will be critical to collect when future Artemis astronauts explore the Moon's surface. Credits: NASA/Robert Markowitz