Discover how NASA’s Artemis II crew is using the stunning landscapes of Iceland to prepare for their historic mission to the moon. Learn about the fascinating geological similarities between Iceland and the lunar surface, and how these training exercises are shaping the future of space exploration.
Exploring Iceland’s Lunar Terrains
Consider the moon: your feet are on a desolate, alien terrain. It’s a familiar feeling for the Artemis II crew currently training in Iceland, a Nordic island that has provided celestial stand-ins for astronauts since piloting skills were first put to the test.
The Artemis II team, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen–along with their backups-have been getting a taste of this rugged volcanic terrain in Iceland. Viewed in greyscale with an occasional bolder and vast mountain shadows, this environment is the best representation of what a lunar scene must look like.
The similarities between Iceland and the moon’s surface are equally eerie, says Cindy Evans, Artemis geology training lead at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. “Add volcanism to its list of lunar-like planetary processes. It has the land; it appears to be like the moon. It shares the scale of features that astronauts will be observing and exploring on the moon.
Decoding the Lunar Geology
While Artemis II transits the icy wilderness of Iceland, they are not just soaking in the incredible landscape. They are also investigating the complex geological formations that mimic those seen on the moon.
The moon-like rocks in Iceland are mainly of basalt and breccia nature. These rocks are based on the dark (mafic) basalts where alaverbunden contain iron-rich magma cooled quickly and crystallized. In Iceland, these massive flows of basalt lavas are the result of volcanoes and deep fissures that pour out large volumes of magma, whereas on the moon they can form in one of two ways: either from relatively wide eruptions from volcanoes or lava pooling in impact basins.
By contrast, breccias are angular rock fragments that have been cemented together with one another to form new rocks. On Earth, volcanic breccias form from explosive volcanic eruptions in Icelandic rocks and impact breccias are the product of meteoroids smashing into the moon.
The Artemis II crew is getting essential experience noting these geologic features in the field to design their future moon excursions. As Trevor Graff, exploration geologist and hardware and testing lead on the Artemis science team puts it: “The tools we used during the Apollo missions haven’t changed that much for what we’re planning for the Artemis missions.”
Conclusion
The Artemis II mission represents a key part of humanity’s next return to the moon and research in Iceland is training the workplace for this historic effort. Through their training in a Moon-colored environment and with field geology tools & techniques, the Artemis II crew will be well positioned for exploration & discovery like never before — and for even greater horizons off our planet as we reach out farther into the cosmos. While we await their journey, they can serve as an example for all humanity and the astonishing similarities of the ice-bound lands of Iceland and the lifeless beauty of the moon.
