Lunar liftoff: Artemis program boosted by ISU researchers at Craters of the Moon

ARCO, Idaho (KIFI) – As millions of eyes watched the take-off of NASA's first manned space flight around the moon in more than 50 years, an Idaho State University (ISU) scientist and National Park Ranger celebrated in awe at the Craters of the Moon Visitor’s Center.

ISU scientists researching at Craters of the Moon National Monument played a critical role in the development of the Artemis program.

“We are so close to being able to send humans to the surface of the moon for the first time since the early 70s,” said Shannon Kobs Nawotniak, a NASA-funded researcher and ISU Geosciences Department Chair. “This is the first crewed flight for Artemis. The Artemis I was an uncrewed, test run. Now we've got Artemis Two. It’s going to have four astronauts that are going to go around the moon.”

The flight will be the first human orbit of the moon since Apollo 17 landed on lunar soil in 1972.

“They're going to be looking for impact flashes on the far side of the moon, where we don't really have a view otherwise,” she explained.

NASA is aiming to land a crewed mission on the moon in 2028.

“Artemis II is going to be another sort of test bed for some of the robotics,” Kobs Nawotniak said. “That was a decision that came in February preparing for Artemis IV – sending humans to the South Pole of the moon, where we've got areas where we think we even have water deposits in permanently shadowed craters at the South Pole.”

Craters of the Moon National Monument in east Idaho played a vital role in NASA’s research.

“Craters of the Moon is such a unique environment,” said Craters of the Moon National Monument Chief of Interpretation and Education Michael Irving. “It's about 750,000 acres. That's about 1,200 square miles of just lava that is out here in the middle of the Idaho desert.”

NASA’s Lunar Test Bed in Idaho

Idaho's famous national monument played a critical role in NASA training for Apollo 14.

Dr. Kobs Nawotniak and her team have continued NASA research at the location since 2014.

“We've now more than a decade of continuous research out here with NASA to be able to use this as a test bed for the moon, Mars and beyond,” Kobs Nawotniak said.

The rock composition at Craters of the Moon closely resembles the geology of the moon.

“Lavas that we have at Craters of the Moon are chemically really similar to the lavas and volcanoes that we have on the moon,” she said. “I don't think people realize how similar that is, and how cool it is that we have this right here in our backyard that we can study things here to better understand the features we have on the moon."

She says that Idaho and its unique environment are vital to understand what is happening on the moon.

“We can practice here, so that way we can be more efficient and effective for the work we do on the moon,” Kobs Nawotniak said. “[We’ll] be able to make sure we get the best possible research out of what we're going to get from Artemis.”

Local News 8 will follow up with additional coverage about her research in days ahead.