Cross-referencing astronaut-observed lunar impact flashes with seismic data - lessons from Apollo for Artemis

Benjamin Fernando , Nicholas Schmerr, Detlef Koschny, Noah Petro, Reba Prabhakar, Ariel Deutsch, Yosio Nakamura, Jack Schmitt

During their orbits of the Moon in 1972, Apollo astronauts reported three impact flashes on the lunar surface, associated with meteoroids striking the surface and vaporizing. We examined data from the Apollo seismic network to investigate whether these flashes produced detectable moonquakes whose locations and timing could be independently validated. No candidate matches were found, though stream modelling indicates a high probability that both Apollo 17 impacts were associated with the Geminid meteor stream. Our analysis pipeline is likely instructive for coordinating observations made by future Artemis astronauts from orbit with seismic data from upcoming geophysical missions to the lunar surface.