NASA astronauts practiced moonwalking on the San Francisco Volcanic Fields near Flagstaff over the past week. The training is for the Artemis III mission, which aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the South Pole of the moon.
Astronauts Kate Rubins and Andre Douglas served as the crew in the practice missions, which involved four simulated moonwalks. The crew wore mockup spacesuits and tested hardware and technology. NASA flight controllers in Houston monitored the activities. The training wrapped up today.
Northern Arizona's lava fields have been used since the Apollo missions in the 1960s for astronaut training due to their similarity to the lunar surface.
To date, only 12 people have walked on the Moon. All of them trained in Flagstaff.