NASAのアーティメスIIレポート: 月の色は黄色ではなく「泥の緑」

Astronauts on NASA’s Artemis II mission saw a much more colorful landscape during their close flyby of the moon than they expected. The “yellowish orange” and “mud green” tones the crew encountered on the lunar surface were revealed in a new report. The area known as the Aristarchus Plateaus is located on the side of the moon facing Earth. This wide and high terrain is one of the most densely populated areas of the moon’s oldest volcanic features. It contains dark lava deposits and colorful volcanic glass particles. Surprised by the distinct yellow tones she encountered in the area, mission specialist Koch described the plateau as “yellow snow mountains.” She described the bright “snow” of the craters as “the moon’s yellowed cheek.” Pilot Glover shared her observations while capturing the area: “Now there are so many colors. There’s also green. Especially in Aristarchus and to the north, I see brown stripes going down.” According to the report’s authors, these colorful tones can be associated with volcanic glass particles in different regions of the moon, similar to those rich in titanium for yellow and magnesium for green. These colorations could shed light on the selection of landing and exploration sites in future missions. Another colorful area that caught the crew’s attention was a massive impact crater. Described as being about three times the width of Massachusetts, this young and highly-rimmed crater spans both the visible and invisible sides of the moon. Rarely visible from Earth, the structure completely covered the area as the crew entered orbit behind the moon. Mission commander Wiseman noted that the structure “created chaos throughout the area.” As the crew passed through the wide basin, they noticed gray, brown, tan, and green tones. Koch saw “almost mud-like colors” on the outer rim of the basin, while Glover described a landscape of white dust-like deposits on the slopes and peaks of the mountains. The crater chains moving away from the impact center gave Koch the impression of “bubbles rising from under the water.”

These observations may seem like random statements, but the Artemis II team spent more than two years training to examine and describe the Moon’s geology. This training included individual and classroom lectures, simulated flight transitions, and the acquisition of “reference materials of their choice” to read during the journey in the Orion capsule. The report emphasizes that this training enabled the team to acquire much more scientific information than automated cameras or orbiting vehicles could provide. The report authors added that “the Artemis II mission demonstrated the extraordinary value of human observation and cognition as a scientific entity in planetary exploration.” Unlike cameras, which capture isolated moments and often narrow viewpoints, human observers continuously interpret their surroundings, combining real-time visual perception with contextual understanding. As the mission team relayed this view to mission control, Glover described it as “a very striking sight.”

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