Retired NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez told Newsmax on Tuesday that images from the Artemis II mission are more advanced than those from the Apollo era, highlighting a leap in how humanity sees the moon.
Appearing on Newsmax's "Wake Up America," Hernandez said the mission's biggest breakthrough is the ability to observe the moon's far side in its entirety. He contrasted that with the limited views available to Apollo astronauts.
"My biggest takeaway is that they had the opportunity to see the opposite side of the moon as a whole," Hernandez said of the Artemis II crew. "Because, Apollo astronauts did see the opposite side, but they were only a mere 70 miles from the surface, so they only saw parts of it as they passed by."
He explained that Artemis astronauts had a much broader vantage point, allowing for a full perspective never before captured. That difference is reflected in the quality of the images being returned, Hernandez said.
"These astronauts were 4,000 miles away, so they saw the whole round moon in one full view," he said. "As a matter of fact, they even saw in an eclipse and were able to study the far side and also the corona of the sun."
"So, they had great opportunity to do some pretty good photography and science," Hernandez added.
Hernandez said lighting conditions enhanced what astronauts could see and capture. He said reflected light revealed features and colors that were previously difficult to detect.
"It wasn't completely dark, so a lot of light bouncing off, a lot of Earth shine bouncing off, even seeping into the dark side," Hernandez said. "Which allowed them to see these green hues of colors, different hues, and that allows them to study the terrain."
Those visual details could prove critical as NASA looks to expand its presence on the moon. Hernandez said the new imagery is helping scientists better understand areas that remain largely unexplored.
"Not a lot is known on the opposite side of the moon and I think we got some great photography to see what's viable there if we ever want to go there," he said.
Hernandez added that Artemis missions are laying the groundwork for future exploration and long-term goals.
"We're going down to the [moon's] south pole to establish a lunar base in future Artemis missions, and that's going to get us ready to go to Mars and beyond, which is very exciting," he said.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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