Satellites have photographed the moon's far side since Luna 3 returned the first images in 1959. Artemis II marked the first time humans saw some far-side regions directly with their own eyes. Kelsey Young, NASA's Artemis II lunar science lead, has long said the team was looking forward to having humans see and describe lunar features firsthand. Hansen also pointed to colour variations stretching toward Hertzsprung, a large crater on the moon's far side. "If you're looking down and your eyes are dark-adapted, yeah, you're going to see impact flashes," he said.

Source: CBC News April 10, 2026 16:01 UTC