A lens full of moondust: capturing the secret world of astronauts

Did you ever gaze at the stars in wonder and imagine being on a rocket to the moon? If so, you’re in the very best company. “I’ve been space-addicted since childhood,” admits Canon Ambassador, Paolo Verzone. “I watched all the space shuttle missions on TV.” But never could little Paolo have imagined that one day he would have behind the scenes access to a mission that captured the imaginations of the world.

But these kinds of incredible projects don’t simply appear out of nowhere. So, for Paolo and his long-time collaborator, filmmaker, Massimo Nicolaci, it was about taking this passion and, well, waiting for the planets to align. “In 2020, we were working in Svalbard, Norway, on a science-oriented assignment – archaeology, palaeontology,” he explains. “And these are both related to space exploration, but we’d never considered a space project until we read about NASA’s Artemis mission.”

For those not familiar, Artemis is an exciting, ambitious and long-term project to return humans to the moon for the first time since the “Space Race” of the 1960s. Ultimately, it aims to establish a permanent lunar base camp – no small feat, and one that will take an incredible combination of new technologies and highly trained astronauts, who are also scientists and engineers. And if you think this sounds like the coolest thing ever to capture in photography and film, Paolo and Massimo were way ahead of you. “I was jumping on my chair!” remembers Paolo. “Saying that in five or six year’s time, all eyes will be on Artemis – and I was right. So, I went full-speed, calling and emailing magazines, screaming ‘don't miss this opportunity!’”

But, back in 2020, most didn’t understand his excitement. So, Paolo and Massimo guessed they would have to chip away at the idea, one small project at a time until the moment came that would bring it all together. The first was GEO GERMANY, who commissioned them to cover the European Space Agency’s (ESA) role in the building of a component of the Artemis module, the European Service Module for Orion – the primary spacecraft that would carry the astronauts. “Then I was contacted by Gallerie D’Italia in Turin, a museum that only displays work that they commission. They asked me, ‘do you have a very, very ambitious project?’” And so, they were in, documenting the work of the ESA, yes, but for Paolo and Massimo, it was more about the people behind the magic of space.

“Astronauts have fifteen years of training, but who is training them? Behind each one is 500 people – geologists, scientists, engineers…” explains Paolo. “And the machines, the robotics, the technologies? Who is building these? Everybody is working together to make this thing happen and it’s extremely beautiful.” Massimo adds, “And these people believe that the next step of evolution is to live in space, on the moon, on Mars. There is a real sense that they are writing history, and we are there to show this layer of magic.”

But visiting Lofoten Island, an archipelago in Northern Norway, offered an entirely unexpected way of looking at this world. “There is a 500 square metre location there, which is a mysterious landscape that’s the closest you can get to moon soil on earth, and it’s where astronauts are trained in geology,” explains Paolo. “We asked where to meet them,” recalls Massimo. “And they sent coordinates. We drove as close as we could, then we had to walk and find anyone dressed as the European Space Agency!”

The pair are certainly no strangers to isolated and difficult conditions, but a simulated surface of the moon presents challenges that can only be described as otherworldly. There was, for example, moondust. “It’s called regolith,” Paolo clarifies. “So, we had to cover our cameras in plastic tape, otherwise it would get inside. This meant we couldn’t change the settings or even see into the viewfinder. But that’s magical because you must feel your way – follow your sixth sense – and pray that when you return from the moon’s surface, there is something very interesting.”

At the same time, they were flying across Europe to a number of ESA’s technology locations, to be in the room for the development of all kinds of robotics connected to space exploration (including the famous moon rovers), watching how people interacted with the machines. For Paolo and Massimo, it was critical to show the astronauts unposed, doing their real work, as well as to give a sense of who they really are. “They are the humblest people I have ever met in my life,” says Paolo. “They focus on only one task – if they are speaking with you, the entire universe is you – and they move slowly, don't rush and never run.”

He knows this, as he was also behind the lens of the now world-famous images of the crew of the Artemis II. “We were in Norway photographing the ESA astronauts when Time magazine asked if I could be in Houston in 48 hours for a 45-minute shoot with them. And I said yes, of course! Later, so many people messaged me saying, ‘now we understand what you were doing!’”

What they have given us (and will continue to give us – they are already deep into Artemis III) was truly like peering behind a stage curtain, except you see more than just performers waiting to make their entrance. It’s a once in a lifetime view of the making of an astronaut and a glimpse into a world, a future and an attitude that is completely removed from anything most of us will ever experience. It’s mind blowing on so many levels, even to Paolo and Massimo. “The scientists don’t speak about race or gender; they have a bigger picture in mind. We are homo sapiens,” says Paolo. “And an engineer from the ESA told me that they have an 800-year plan to bring homo sapiens to the next dimension.”