It’s not a fake moon landing, it’s training for the real thing

By Dean Murray

It may look like a cheap, fake Moon landing, but these incredible scenes show scientists preparing for lunar exploration.

NASA engineers are recreating the challenging lighting conditions of the Moon’s South Pole to prepare astronauts for the upcoming Artemis III mission.

At the Marshall Space Flight Center’s Flat Floor Facility near Huntsville, Alabama, last month, teams used powerful lights and life-sized mock-ups of lunar landers and rocks to study how extreme shadows and glare will affect astronauts during their mission.

Test teams use large 12-kilowatt and 6-kilowatt lights to replicate the low-angle, high-contrast conditions of the lunar South Pole. Large swathes of fabric are placed on top of the epoxy floor to imitate the reflective properties of lunar regolith.

The facility has a precision air-bearing floor designed to simulate the microgravity environment of space by allowing objects to float on a cushion of air with minimal friction.

The setup enables engineers to test spacecraft docking, robotic manoeuvres, and lunar lander operations in a controlled, frictionless environment that closely mimics space conditions.

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Emma Jaynes, a test engineer at the facility, said: “The Sun is at a permanent low angle at the South Pole of the Moon, meaning astronauts will experience high contrasts between the lit and shadowed regions.

“The color white can become blinding in direct sunlight, while the shadows behind a rock could stretch for feet and those behind a lander could extend for miles.

"The goal is really to understand how shadows will affect lander visual inspection and assessment efforts throughout a future crewed mission.

“Because the Flat Floor Facility is similar to an inverted air hockey table, NASA and our industry partners can rearrange large, heavy structures with ease – and inspect the shadows’ effects from multiple angles, helping to ensure mission success and astronaut safety for Artemis III."

These tests are helping NASA improve training and tools for Artemis astronauts, who will be the first to explore the lunar South Pole and pave the way for future Mars missions.

NASA's Artemis III mission, currently planned for 2027, will mark humanity’s first return to the lunar surface in more than 50 years.