'Audible screams of delight' from NASA scientists over micrometeorite impacts on the moon witnessed by Artemis 2 astronauts

HOUSTON — NASA scientists, and the rest of the world, are beaming about the incredible images from the Artemis 2 flyby around the far side of the moon.

On Monday (April 6), astronauts aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft completed their closest approach of the moon. During that historic flyby, the crew snapped stunning photos and made a variety of lunar observations, some of which were met with cheers inside the Science Evaluation Room here at Johnson Space Center.

There were "audible screams of delight," said Kelsey Young, Artemis 2's lunar science lead, during a press conference on Tuesday (April 7). Those excited screams were caused by the astronauts' observations of micrometeor impacts on the moon, which NASA scientists weren't expecting.

Monday's flyby was the centerpiece of the Artemis 2 mission. It was the scientific focus of the crew's 10-day journey out to the moon and back, so researchers were eager to learn what the astronauts saw. And the results have not disappointed so far.

"Spirits are very high," Young said. "We did what we set out to do. The Lunar Science Team and the crew prepared extensively," she said — but they weren't prepared to see so many impacts.

Near the end of Orion's closest lunar approach on Monday evening, the sun dipped behind the moon, creating a solar eclipse for the astronauts that lasted almost an hour. During that time, the crewmates say they witnessed no less than five micrometeor impacts on the lunar far side.

Artemis 2 marks the first time that humans have traveled to lunar space since Apollo 17 in 1972, so the mission science team prepped the astronauts extensively.

During their flight, the crew members were tasked with identifying multiple geographic features, photographing the lunar surface and recording their findings for scientists back on Earth. And, with the brightest part of the sun blocked by the disk of the moon, the Artemis 2 astronauts were able to make out flashes from each impact with just their eyes.

Impact flashes are caused by micrometeors hitting the moon, and can help scientists learn about the dynamics of the lunar environment.

"This is absolutely everything we hoped for by integrating science into flight operations," Young said. "Science enables exploration, and exploration enables science."