Artemis lunar science team celebrates during flyby — jsc2026e020756

Artemis II deputy lunar science lead Marie Henderson, shown standing on the left, and lunar science team members, from the right foreground, Ariel Deutsch, Maria Banks behind her, Ryan Watkins to her right, and Sara Schmidt in the checkered jacket. In this image they are reacting to astronauts' observations of Moon features during their flyby on April 6, 2026. Leading up to the flight, the science team has been training the astronauts in in the classroom and in the field. They also built the lunar targeting plan that, like a spacewalk plan on the International Space Station, 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 images of the Moon and provided verbal descriptions of what they were seeing. This type of information reveals the geologic history of various lunar areas and will be critical to collect when future Artemis astronauts explore the Moon's surface. Credits: NASA/Luna Posadas Nava