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Credit & Copyright: Firefly Aerospace
Explanation:
There's a new lander on the Moon.
Yesterday
Firefly Aerospace's
Blue Ghost executed the first-ever successful commercial lunar landing.
During its planned 60-day mission,
Blue Ghost will deploy several
NASA-commissioned scientific instruments, including
PlanetVac which captures
lunar dust after creating a small whirlwind of gas.
Blue Ghost will also host the
telescope LEXI that captures X-ray images of the
Earth's magnetosphere.
LEXI
data should enable a
better
understanding
of how Earth's magnetic field protects the Earth from the
Sun's wind and
flares.
Pictured, the shadow of the
Blue Ghost lander is visible on the cratered
lunar surface,
while the glowing orb of the
planet Earth hovers just over the horizon.
Goals for future robotic Blue Ghost landers include
supporting lunar astronauts in NASA's
Artemis program,
with
Artemis III currently scheduled to land humans back on the Moon in 2027.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Moon
Publications with words: Moon
See also: