NASA's moon-landing astronauts will explore 1 of these regions

After more than 50 years, we know where NASA astronauts will go.

There are 13 potential landing regions for the Artemis 3 mission. The south pole of the moon is where all the candidates are clustered.

"Selecting these regions means we are one giant leap closer to returning humans to the moon for the first time since Apollo," Mark Kirasich said in a statement. It will be unlike any mission that has been done before as astronauts venture into dark areas previously unexplored by humans and lay the groundwork for future long-term stays.

NASA's Artemis moon landing worked.

Two regions on the rim of de Gerlache Crater are included in the selected regions.

To make those decisions, NASA considered how easy a team of astronauts can communicate with Earth from the site, the local lighting conditions and the terrain in order to ensure a safe landing.

The sites are close to the moon's south pole. Scientists believe that frozen water is locked beneath the lunar surface in the stark cold of permanently shadowed regions.

Scientists hope that studying water and othervolatile compounds that evaporate away will teach them about the relationship with Earth. Sarah Noble, Artemis lunar science lead for NASA, said that several of the proposed sites are located among some of the oldest parts of the moon.

The exploration-minded want the ice to support future humans on the moon or be used to make rocket fuel.

It's not clear how much ice is left under the south pole's surface, its precise location, and how contaminated it may be by other compounds.

We don't know where astronauts will step out of their spaceship. 13 regions are just that. Before selecting a final destination, the agency needs to evaluate specific landing sites.

NASA will work with the broader science and engineering communities as well as personnel at SpaceX to make the choice. The agency said it may add more regions for consideration.

The location of Artemis 3's landing won't be known until NASA sets a launch date.

The Artemis 1 test flight for NASA's lunar exploration program is just over a week away. The launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is where the rocket stack is located.

The moon exploration program will rely on the Space Launch System megarocket and the crew capsule in order to reach the moon. NASA will send astronauts to the moon before the new moon landing if everything goes well.

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