NASA has released more than 800 gigabytes of images, audio and scientific observations from the Artemis II crew’s historic flight around the Moon in April.

The dataset, uploaded to NASA’s Planetary Data System on October 7, includes over 11,000 full-resolution images and video, 8.5 hours of audio recordings of the crew’s observations, and hand-annotated images. It is the first planetary science dataset captured mainly by humans in more than 50 years.

Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, plus Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, were the first human eyes to see the Moon up close since 1972. They described the colours of the lunar surface and watched flashes as micrometeorites struck the Moon.

The release also documents challenges for future Moon landings. Changing light conditions altered the crew’s perception of the terrain, and sunlight sometimes overwhelmed their vision — issues future astronauts must handle to avoid craters and boulders.

The data will help scientists as NASA prepares for long-term exploration of the lunar surface.