NASA’s Study of The Moon with Blue Ghost Mission 1 Concludes
After about 14 days, or the equivalent of one lunar day, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 has concluded!
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center managed the development for seven of the 10 CLPS payloads aboard Blue Ghost lunar lander. Here is a breakdown of the science and technology they performed during the mission:
🌡️ LISTER drilled up to 3 feet, providing a first-of-its kind demonstration of robotic thermal measurements at varying depths.
🖥️ RadPC successfully operated in transit through Earth’s Van Allen belts, as well as on the lunar surface into the lunar night, verifying solutions to mitigate radiation effects on computers that could make future missions safer for equipment and more cost effective.
🧲 LMS successfully deployed five sensors to study the Moon’s interior by measuring electric and magnetic fields. The instrument allows scientists to characterize the interior of the Moon to depths up to 700 miles, or more than half the distance to the Moon's center.
⛅ LEXI captured a series of X-ray images to study the interaction of the solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field, providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces surrounding Earth affect the planet.
📏 NGLR successfully reflected and returned laser light from two Lunar Laser Ranging Observatories, returning measurements allowing scientists to precisely measure the Moon’s shape and distance from Earth, expanding our understanding of the Moon’s inner structure.
💨 Lunar PlanetVac was deployed on the lander’s surface access arm and successfully collected, transferred, and sorted lunar soil using pressurized nitrogen gas, demonstrating a low-cost, low-mass solution for future robotic sample collection.
🧑🚀 RAC instrument examined how lunar regolith sticks to a range of materials exposed to the Moon’s environment. This can help test, improve, and protect spacecraft, spacesuits, and habitats from abrasive lunar dust or regolith.
Learn More: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-science-continues-after-fireflys-first-moon-mission-concludes/
The Blue Ghost lander arrived on the Moon March 2, 2025. The Blue Ghost Mission 1 ended on March 16. The lander operated, near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium, for approximately 14 Earth days, or roughly one lunar day. Mare Crisium is a lunar mare located in the Moon's Crisium basin, just northeast of Mare Tranquillitatis. It was formed by the flooding of basaltic lava that filled an ancient asteroid impact.
This work was part of NASA’s CLPS initiative and Artemis campaign to establish a long-term lunar presence. Blue Ghost Mission 1 performed science and technology demonstrations, including lunar subsurface drilling, sample collection, and X-ray imaging of Earth’s magnetic field to advance research for future human missions on the Moon, as well as to provide insights into space weather effects.
Learn more about CLPS: https://www.nasa.gov/clps
Video Credit: NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)
Duration: 34 seconds
Release Date: March 21, 2025
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