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The Artemis II astronauts made a number of impressive images during their historic mission to the moon earlier this month. Those images include never-before-seen views of the moon, a total solar eclipse and more.
They have two NASA instructors to thank for equipping them with tried and true DSLR (digital single lens reflex) cameras and sharing their photography and videography skills.
NASA photography and videography experts Paul Reichert and Katrina Willoughby said they put the team through about 20 hours of training over the course of several years.
Nikon D5 camera advantages
The Nikon D5, a DSLR camera released in 2016, was the so-called workhorse used by a team that included Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. As the main camera model used for years on the International Space Station (ISS), Reichert said the D5 has proven it can withstand the elements of the stars.
“We had a lot of experience flying it,” Reichert said. “We knew it could handle at least several years of radiation on the ISS, and it didn’t have any problems with it.”
Another advantage of the D5 is its exceptional performance in low light – a necessity in the inky darkness of space.
One piece of camera equipment used by astronauts is familiar to many of us: the iPhone. Willoughby said the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max devices were a late addition to the list of devices. While the mobile, point-and-shoot nature of the phones was useful, their large file sizes were a challenge.
“One thing we have to think about is what does it take to download the files?” Willoughby said. “And unfortunately, we don’t have the bandwidth. And that’s something that a lot of people down here tend to have very quickly.”
Unlike the lunar mission of more than 50 years ago, the Artemis II astronauts benefited from immediate viewing of the images they took digitally, unlike the film cameras used by crews in the past. Live video GoPros have given people on Earth a live view of space exploration.
Willoughby said the excitement in Houston was palpable.
“The excitement in the back rooms and the front rooms as the pictures were being seen and released was fantastic. We were all very happy,” Willoughby said.
Besides the D5, the crew also used a Nikon Z9 mirrorless camera and several lenses, including 14-24mm, 80-400mm and 35mm lenses.
