The Moon takes center stage once again in human exploration with Artemis II, fifty years after the first steps of Apollo. Every mission, every technological advance, and every scientific discovery has paved the way that now allows us to look toward its orbit with new possibilities. These images capture some of the milestones that have shaped this journey, reminding us that the ambition to return to our natural satellite remains alive and closer than ever.
Text: Mara Russo
November 20, 1969:
Apollo 12 and Surveyor 3
At a moment destined to go down in the history of lunar exploration, Apollo 12 astronauts Charles Conrad Jr. and Alan L. Bean descended onto the surface of the Moon in the Ocean of Storms, just 180 meters from the unmanned Surveyor 3 spacecraft. Conrad inspects Surveyor’s television camera before bringing it back to Earth, a gesture that opened new opportunities to better understand our natural satellite.
Photo: NASA
March 29, 2023
Artemis II Crew
The Artemis II mission will bring together four astronauts who will travel around the Moon: Reid Wiseman as commander, Victor Glover as pilot, and Christina Hammock Koch and Canadian Jeremy Hansen as mission specialists. Each orbit will be a step toward a sustainable human presence on the satellite, combining scientific precision, technical readiness, and the spirit of exploration that has driven generations to look beyond our planet.
Photo: NASA/James Blair
August 6, 2020:
Hubble observes the total Lunar Eclipse
During the total lunar eclipse of January 2019, the Hubble Space Telescope took advantage of the phenomenon’s unique geometry to study sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere and reflecting off the Moon. By measuring the ozone signature in that light, scientists demonstrated a technique that simulates how they could detect atmospheres similar to ours around other planets. This was the first time a total lunar eclipse was captured in ultraviolet wavelengths from space.
Photo: Artistic interpretation by M. Kornmesser. (ESA/Hubble), NASA, y ESA
September 4, 2023:
Phases of the Moon
Although we always see the same side of the Moon, its appearance changes each night. Sometimes it shines fully, other times only a thin crescent is visible, and occasionally it seems to disappear entirely. These changes are called lunar phases, and each has its own name and character. This phenomenon reflects the constant interaction between sunlight, the Moon’s rotation, and our perspective from Earth, revealing the subtle rhythm of the cosmos.
Photo: NASA/Bill Dunford 4
