NASA just revealed the wild spots it'll land astronauts on the moon

bounties on the moon

The moon's South Pole is home to 13 landing areas where planetary scientists believe there's water, ice, and other resources. Most of the sites are on the ridges above the craters.

These sites are not familiar to the average person.

Sarah Noble, the lunar science lead for NASA's Planetary Science Division, said at a press briefing that this is a new part of the moon. We've never been there.

The goal of NASA's return to the moon is to establish a permanent presence on Earth, an endeavor that could one day lead to a mission to Mars.

There is light in the South Pole. The sun barely rises over the moon. The world is often dominated by shadows and dim surroundings. Each of the landing regions will have access to continuous sunlight during the six and a half day exploration of the moon. NASA said that access to sunlight is important for a long-term stay at the Moon.

The 13 proposed landing sites for NASA's Artemis III mission. Each area is some 9.3 by 9.3 miles in size. Credit: NASA

NASA astronauts, including the first woman to walk on the moon, will collect samples to bring back to Earth and study how humans adapt to the moon's lower gravity.

The landing site for Artemis is expected to be finalized 18 months before launch. The first Artemis mission is scheduled to launch on August 29. These sites were released by the space agency so that they could be scrutinized by the larger scientific community. NASA wants to make the best decision possible when it comes to landing astronauts on the moon.

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They want to find water on the moon.

The space agency said that water could be used for drinking, cooling equipment, breathing, and making rocket fuel for missions farther into the solar system.