Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost is approaching the conclusion of its two-week mission as the inaugural commercial spacecraft to successfully touch down on the moon. After landing within the Mare Crisium crater on March 2, its main goal has been to undertake delivery 10 NASA instruments Designed to collect lunar subsurface information, the eastern edge of the Moon’s near side offered an ideal location for observing a solar eclipse from the lunar perspective. On Friday, Firefly made this announcement. first breathtaking photos from the latest cosmic event's "diamond ring effect" recorded by Blue Ghost's onboard camera.
The initial picture captures the start of the eclipse at approximately 1:30 AM EST on March 14. Besides documenting the eclipse directly, this moment is also visible as a reflection in the solar panel array of Blue Ghost. This first image was captured from atop the lander and features parts of various instruments including the X-band antenna (on the left), the Lunar Environment Heliospheric X-ray Imager (in the center), and the tip of the Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder mast (on the right side).
The second photograph retrieved from Blue Ghost displays the complete view, featuring a radiant band of sunlight along the lunar horizon akin to a diamond ring. Considering the alignment of Earth, the Moon, and the Sun, this picture evokes numerous images captured during last year’s total solar eclipse observed on our planet. However, seen from this location on Earth, what occurred was actually a total lunar eclipse rather than a solar one, as the Earth’s shadow produced a " blood moon According to Firefly, this occasion signified the first instance of a private enterprise conducting operations on the lunar surface during an eclipse. The Blue Ghost largely depends on solar energy; hence, it captured the subsequent image utilizing backup batteries.
The engineers at Mission Control must now delay downloading additional images as the X-band antenna needs extra time to heat up following exposure to very low temperatures experienced during roughly two hours of total lunar eclipse. To provide some perspective, nighttime temperatures on the moon can drop dramatically to around minus 208 degrees Fahrenheit. Although this isn’t officially part of their mission, the team working on the Firefly project intends to examine information collected using NASA’s instruments throughout the nearly five-hour-long eclipse period. Through these analyses, they aim to gain insights into potential impacts an eclipse could have on the lunar surroundings.
Despite Blue Ghost being set to shut down permanently shortly after nighttime falls on the moon on March 16, it will have at least one additional photo session planned. The engineers intend to transmit pictures captured during the approaching lunar sunset, marking yet another historical milestone for the spacecraft.
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