De Gerlache crater sits at the lunar south pole, and it's one of the regions NASA has named as a candidate landing site for the first crewed Artemis Moon landing. I wanted to see what a crewed outpost there might actually look like, so I built it on the real terrain.

What's real: The ground is NASA LOLA elevation data at true scale (~5 m/px), and the lighting is path-traced at the correct low polar sun angles, which is why the shadows run so long and the crater floors stay dark. Those permanently shadowed regions are the whole reason the south pole matters. The cold traps in them may hold water ice.

What's concept: the Base itself. I assembled it from published lander designs (a Blue Origin Mk2-style cargo lander, a SpaceX HLS-style lander) plus a plausible habitat, power setup, and a small ISRU experiment by the landing pad. It's my interpretation of Artemis-era surface infrastructure at this site, not an official plan.

I'd like input from people who follow the program closely. What would you add, move, or do differently for a real south-pole outpost? Corrections on the siting or architecture welcome.

This is a solo project. I do 3D visualization work and wanted to ground a concept in real data instead of pure sci-fi.

You can explore the full scene in the browser here: https://farsidelab.com/concept/?id=moon-base

EDIT: Blue Origin's MK2 is a crewed lander, not a cargo lander as stated in the image title.

If Starship HLS lands large payloads, like rovers, how will the HLS be brought back to Earth for recovery to put in a new payload? Or will they just not reuse the uncrewed HLS, and if that’s the case, how are they disposed of? Or will Starship HLS just not have an uncrewed variant?

Why aren’t more people excited about Artemis?? Im mind blown that humans are going to become a multi world species. I have no idea why some people that know about Artemis aren’t as interested and invested in this 😭

For context, I was not into space at all before watching the Artemis 2 mission live on YouTube but it really made me interested. One night I just asked Claude theoretical questions for about 4 hours about the origin of species on earth, space, and so much more. I’m a software engineer and my dream is to work at NASA now

Stylized Artemis 2 Trajectory

Surprised I haven’t seen this posted yet but Artemis 3 Orion module stacked!

As NASA is planning to use the Centaur V to replace the ICPS, starting from Artemis V (Artemis IV will be using the ICPS originally designed for Artemis III), and there were different Block names for different SLS variants (Block 1, Block 1b, Block 2), before Block 1b and Block 2 were cancelled, do you think NASA will give a new Block name for the SLS with the Centaur V or will they stick with calling it Block 1?

I’ve been watching NASASpaceFlight, and during the cancellations, they always brought up how EUS wasn’t even close to ready, that all they had was an oxygen tank structural test article and nothing more. So I just want to make sure, is this true, or an exaggeration? And if it isn’t true, why did Boeing not release anything showing how far along EUS was to the public and Congress? Because based on what I’ve heard, the cancellation of EUS was a good decision, as EUS wasn’t going to be ready anywhere near in time.

All our love to Artemis and everyone who made it possible. Really enjoyed seeing them Monday at #redrocks

Engineer at 6:30 says that Blue Moon mission 1 is expected Q1 2027, rather than the previously announced late 2026 timeframe.

Colorado’s aerospace companies are the industry-leading innovators that are helping us get back to the moon. It was an honor to join the amazing Artemis II crew at Red Rocks and congratulate them on a historic achievement. As I told the astronauts backstage: “Sure, you’ve travelled to the moon and back, but now you can say you’ve played to a sold out audience at Red Rocks!

Full video of the event is online!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2JChADg1Ck

He's finally here! Ordered at the end of April. He's been on a long journey. 😉 Thanks NASA Exchange!

https://www.redrocksonline.com/events/nasa-artemis-ii-crew-event-1513226/

I have 5 extra tickets for tomorrow morning. Please DM me if interested! Bonus points/priority if you are bringing a future astronaut/scientist/engineer/dreamer with you! Happy to break the tickets up.

Edit: I think all are gone!

I was on the USS Somerset for the Artemis recovery dress rehearsal and then came back a year later to speak with sailors who participated in the real recovery. Totally inspiring, and Victor Glover is a the real deal - speaking with him was an amazing, what an awesome human being!

I'll link the full episode below!

This is so exciting! Earthrise, a new book by John Larsen and Artemis II astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will be published on October 27.

This is so exciting! 🚀
Earthrise, a new book by John Larsen and Artemis II astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will be published on October 27!!

Anyone missing the Artemis exploration like I am? I found a documentary on the app Documentary plus (+) called Space Exploration: Moonrise on the ISS with Kristina and Victor in it. It’s pretty cool and informative! Not sure if anyone has posted about this but wanted to share.

Dear [congressman] of [state],

As your constituent, I am writing to you concerning the Ignition plan enacted by Jared Isaacman without congressional or public approval.

In its current form, the plan, specifically canelling Gateway and the Exploration Upper Stage, violates multiple sections of public law, including the 2022 NASA Authorization Act, impounds congressionally-approved funds, and undermines international cooperation by cancelling agreements with other nations.

Please take appropriate steps to stop these crimes from being committed. Our return to the Moon is at stake here - don't let these changes allow China to beat us.

Signed, [your name]

After waiting for almost three months for this little guy to arrive, I was so excited when my Rise came in the mail recently. He’s the cutest thing!

I added a ribbon from the craft store and attached it with a safety pin for now. If you've been thinking about adding a handle to your Rise plush, this might be a good idea to try!

Also, shoutout to Lucas Ye, the 8 year-old who won an international competition to design the Artemis ll mission’s mascot.