(CLO) Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander has just captured the first images of the Moon. Two photos posted by Firefly on the social media platform X show a view from the top deck of the lander, which is 2 meters high, along with an image of the Moon taken from a distance.
Blue Ghost, scheduled to land on the Moon on March 2nd, also captured images of Earth obscuring the Sun, creating a moment when the spacecraft was plunged into darkness as sunlight was almost completely blocked.
Another video released on January 31st showed the Earth obscuring the Moon as the Blue Ghost spacecraft moved through its orbit.
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Video of Earth and the Moon from the spacecraft. (Source: Firefly Aerospace)
Since its launch on January 15th aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, Blue Ghost has been orbiting Earth and is preparing to leave orbit in about a week to begin its four-day journey to the Moon. The spacecraft will then orbit the Moon for 16 days before making its crucial landing.
Blue Ghost will collect crucial scientific data for NASA, supporting the goal of establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon and paving the way for further exploration missions into the Solar System.
Blue Ghost captured the scene of Earth obscuring the Moon from the spacecraft's position in Earth orbit. Photo: Firefly Aerospace
The lander carried 10 pieces of NASA science and technology equipment as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Service (CLPS) initiative. This initiative aims to collect data from the lunar surface, supporting the broader Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years.
Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly, said he was excited to share the images and videos collected by Blue Ghost, including the lunar horizon light phenomenon – a special optical effect previously observed with the naked eye by Apollo 15 and 17 astronauts.
Blue Ghost will record this phenomenon using a high-resolution 4K camera and share it with the world .
The top deck of the Blue Ghost lander is pictured with the Moon in the background. Photo: Firefly Aerospace
Additionally, the company plans to photograph the total solar eclipse from the Moon, when the Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon on March 13-14. This event will be visible from Western Europe, parts of Asia, Australia, Africa, the Americas, and Antarctica.
If all goes well, Blue Ghost will land in the Mons Latreille area at the easternmost edge of the Moon, in a basin more than 480 km wide called Mare Crisium, also known as the "Sea of Crisis".
The lander is expected to operate for about 14 Earth days before entering the lunar night, a period of frigid temperatures that could render the spacecraft inoperable.
Ngoc Anh (according to CNN, Space)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/hinh-anh-ngoan-muc-moi-ve-trai-dat-va-mat-trang-duoc-tau-do-bo-chia-se-voi-the-gioi-post332628.html
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