ESA astronauts Alexander Gerst and Samantha Cristoforetti stand in a Norwegian fjord escorted by a waning crescent Moon. The pair is fully equipped for their first field expedition on lunar geology, as part of an intensive training week with ESA’s PANGAEA course.

Alexander and Samantha are wearing a digitally enhanced geology toolkit: a belt with a microscope, a spectrometer and a chest rig with a tablet to record their movements and document their findings. The astronauts also carry a rock hammer, a magnifying lens, sampling bags, a magnet and cue cards to help them identify rocks for science.

The duo was about to embark on a hunt to locate rare Earth rocks similar to those found in the heavily cratered highlands of the Moon – anorthosites. These rocks are billions of years old and originated from deep within the Earth. Anorthosites have been carved by Arctic glaciers in the mountains surrounding the small fishing village of Nusfjord.

Top European planetary scientists follow the astronauts closely to fill any knowledge gaps the might have about lunar science. The trainees have gained an extensive set of geological knowledge and skills, and are trained to work with scientists and explore autonomously as if they were exploring the surface of the Moon.

Alexander and Samantha are also supported by a series of tools and an app, a sort of ‘space tablet’ called the Electronic Field Book that helps them identify and record minerals and rocks, interact with a remote science team and collect the promising samples.

The digital tool is tested in each PANGAEA edition to support lunar exploration with future NASA Artemis missions in mind.

Follow their lunar steps on ESA’s PANGAEA blog, Twitter and Flickr.