Identification of Risks to Eva Created By Ambient Lighting Conditions at the Lunar South Pole

In the coming years, NASA’s Artemis Campaign intends to return humans to the Moon, both to explore
and to establish a permanent human presence. The targeted landing and habitation sites are near the Lunar South Pole (LSP). Compared to the middle latitudes where the Apollo landings occurred, the sun at the LSP is consistently low in the sky, creating a much more challenging visual experience.

The NASA Engineering & Safety Center (NESC) is working to characterize the extremes in ambient
illumination that astronauts will encounter at the LSP, and to help programs characterize the lighting systems and glare protection that will be required to conduct safe surface operations. This paper will describe the LSP natural environments, and efforts to simulate that visual experience. It will also explain the risks derived from the lighting environment for the mission goals currently planned, and the kinds of new capabilities both in simulation techniques and in surface equipment that will be required to support those mission goals.