Astronomy:Handheld Universal Lunar Camera

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Short description: Camera modified for the Artemis lunar program

The Handheld Universal Lunar Camera (HULC) is a handheld commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) camera which will be used in NASA's Artemis lunar program. The camera chosen for this is the Nikon Z9.

History

Nikon Corporation and NASA share a long history together with Nikon being the camera brand that continuously supplies the agency with modified cameras since the 1970s.[1]

On February 29, 2024, NASA revealed a signed agreement between them and Nikon to develop the Handheld Universal Lunar Camera (HULC) as the first handheld camera to be used on the Moon, for use beginning with the Artemis III mission (now the Artemis IV).[2] The resulting design consists of a modified Z9 camera with thermal shielding, custom grip with modified buttons, and modified electrical components to minimize issues caused by solar radiation.[3][4][5]

Space flights

On the Artemis II mission, in addition to Nikon D5 cameras, a Z9 was included for testing. As described by Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, “That’s the camera that they’ll be using, the crew will be using on Artemis III plus, so we were fighting really hard to get that on the vehicle to test out in a high-radiation environment in deep space.”[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Zhang, Michael (2009-12-21). "NASA Showing Some Serious Nikon Love" (in en). https://petapixel.com/2009/12/21/nasa-showing-some-serious-nikon-love/. 
  2. ↑ Due to changes in mission scheduling, the first lunar landing and use of the camera will now be on Artemis IV.
  3. ↑ NASA Communications (2024-02-29). "NASA Signs Agreement with Nikon to Develop Lunar Artemis Camera" (in en). https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/nasa-signs-agreement-with-nikon-to-develop-lunar-artemis-camera/. 
  4. ↑ Gray, Jeremy (2024-02-29). "The Nikon Z9 Is the Camera of Choice for Humanity’s Return to the Moon" (in en). https://petapixel.com/2024/02/29/the-nikon-z9-is-the-camera-of-choice-for-humanitys-return-to-the-moon/. 
  5. ↑ The Custom Nikon Z9 and Thermal Blanket Headed to the Moon PeataPixel
  6. ↑ Gray, Jeremy. "A Nikon Z9 Made it Aboard the Artemis II Moon Mission at the Last Minute". https://petapixel.com/2026/04/02/a-nikon-z9-made-it-aboard-the-artemis-ii-moon-mission-at-the-last-minute/. 



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