NASA has come up with a new list of places to land near the south pole of the moon for its Artemis 3 mission. This time, they thought about how space rocks, sunshine, and talking to Earth would affect the landing. They shrank the list from 13 spots to 9, all still near the moon's south pole. That's where scientists think there might be water ice in dark craters.

Tamra George from NASA's Johnson Space Center said, "Safety first! That means good landing spots and cool science. " They have to think about how the SpaceX Starship can land there, when the sun shines, and when Earth can be seen. It's tricky, especially in winter, because the light and Earth view might not be great for a six-day stay.

Each spot is only good for certain times. But NASA wants to keep other options open. They might add more orbital satellites later to help with talking to Earth. Science is also important. Artemis 3 is like a test run, but it's a chance to do some interesting science. Some spots are better than others for that.

Future missions might not be in the south pole area. They could go anywhere on the moon. Different places might have different science stuff to find. Jacob Bleacher, NASA's exploration chief scientist, said, "The first few missions will probably stay in the south pole area. " That's because of the water ice and the way the satellites are set up.

NASA Narrows Down Moon Landing Spots for Artemis 3

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