Latest news with #GeneCernan
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Watch how eerily a sunset melts away on the moon in new video
As Firefly Aerospace prepared to close out a two-week mission on the moon, its lander had one final gift to beam home: the first high-definition images of a lunar sunset. The company's Blue Ghost robotic spacecraft powered down on March 16 after completing a successful landing and operating 10 NASA experiments. But before going to sleep for the brutally cold lunar night, it conducted a study of the sunset. After the lander captured pictures from different camera angles, the Texas-based space company stitched them into a video (posted farther down in this story) to show the sun slipping below the horizon. Scientists will study the images for a mysterious phenomenon known as "horizon glow," thought to be created when solar influences cause moon dust to levitate. The theory was established by an Apollo 17 astronaut, Gene Cernan, who sketched his observations into his field notes. Following sundown, Blue Ghost operated for five more hours through the darkness of lunar night, continuing to take pictures, to monitor how the dust's behavior changed. "What we see as the glow phenomenology looks very similar to what I've seen other astronauts put only in notes," said Jason Kim, Firefly's CEO, during a news conference, "and it does look green." SEE ALSO: Intrepid moon lander witnesses truly breathtaking lunar sunrise Following sundown, Blue Ghost operated for five more hours through the darkness of lunar night, continuing to take pictures, to monitor how the dust's behavior changed. Credit: Firefly Aerospace Many of the still frames reveal a bright light emanating from the sun, with another bright orb above it, Earth. Sandwiched between them and slightly to the right is a tiny point of light from Venus. Firefly's Blue Ghost lander, named after an exotic type of firefly, touched down on March 2. It sits at Mare Crisium, a lunar plain made from an ancient hardened lava flow. The area is next to a volcanic feature, Mons Latreille, in the northeast quadrant on the near side of the moon. The difficulty of that feat was underscored last week when Intuitive Machines, the first company to land on the moon last year (albeit tilted), was not able to even duplicate its partial success on its return. Intuitive Machines' Athena lander seemingly toppled in a crater, with its solar panels not pointing toward the sun. With the spacecraft unable to generate and replenish power, the company announced the mission was over. "We didn't just get our foot in the door," Kim said. "We got all four feet fully planted on the moon, service stable, and upright. And so I think what that does is it really just validates our company model." NASA paid Firefly $101.5 million to build the spacecraft and deliver experiments to the moon through its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. The space agency wants to see a regular cadence of moon missions to prepare for astronaut-led Artemis expeditions in 2027 or later. Blue Ghost was the longest commercial mission on the moon to date. Scientists will study the images for a mysterious phenomenom known as "horizon glow," thought to be created when solar influences cause moon dust to levitate. Credit: Firefly Aerospace "The Firefly Blue Ghost Mission-1 is what I would call an existence proof of how we wanted Commercial Lunar Payload Services to work," said Joel Kearns, a NASA deputy associate administrator. Firefly engineers don't expect the spacecraft to survive the lunar night, but they will try to turn the lander back on in early April anyway. The company plans to launch another spacecraft to the moon as early as next year.
The Independent
19-03-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Sunset seen on the moon in groundbreaking images taken by Blue Ghost lunar lander
A private lunar lander has made history by capturing the first high-definition images of a sunset on the moon. Firefly Aerospace and Nasa unveiled the photos on Tuesday, showcasing a breathtaking view that includes Venus shimmering in the distance. The images were transmitted shortly before the Blue Ghost lander fell silent over the weekend. It had touched down on the lunar surface on March 2, becoming the only private spacecraft to successfully land upright and execute its complete mission. Over the past two weeks – the equivalent of one lunar day – it has beamed about 120 gigabytes of data back to Earth and drilled into the moon's surface to measure ground temperatures. After the sunset, it continued to capture images and gather scientific data for five hours into the lunar night before running out of solar energy and falling silent. Nasa's Joel Kearns said that Blue Ghost's sunset series represents the first high-resolution images of a sunset from the moon. Scientists are particularly intrigued by a horizon glow captured in at least one photo, potentially caused by levitating lunar dust. That theory was first proposed by Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan, the last person to walk on the lunar surface over 50 years ago. Further analysis will be needed to determine the exact nature of the glow. "What we've got is a really beautiful, aesthetic image showing some really unusual features," Mr Kearns said during a news conference. As part of Nasa's commercial lunar delivery program, Blue Ghost carried out 10 scientific experiments. While all mission objectives were ultimately met, the lander's on-board drill encountered unexpected resistance, reaching a depth of only three feet (one metre) instead of the planned 10 feet (three metres). Firefly said it will try to activate the lunar lander in early April following the lunar night, which lasts for two weeks and is bitterly cold. However, engineers are doubtful that it will crank back up.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Photos of Sunset on the Moon Aren't Just Striking, They Could Offer Clues to Mysterious Phenomenon
A private lunar lander has captured the first high-definition images of the sunset from the moon. Firefly Aerospace, a private space company, first launched their Blue Ghost moon lander on January 15, attached to SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. After separating from the rocket, the spacecraft successfully landed on the moon on March 2, the company said in a aerospace firm said the moon lander is 'the first fully successful commercial Moon landing' and completed 100% of its "mission objectives." The 14-day mission is also the longest commercial operation on the Moon to date, they added. On March 16, the spacecraft operated for more than five hours into the lunar night before dying from a lack of solar energy. Before the spacecraft died, it collected important data and took stunning photos of the lunar sunset. Related: Splashdown Time! 'Stranded' Astronauts Return to Earth After 9 Months in Space 'There was nothing easy about this mission,' Firefly Aerospace CEO Jason Kim told Fox Weather. 'I think that you heard our chief engineer come up and say, 'Y'all stuck the landing, and we're on the Moon.' And shortly after that, the team finally got to celebrate, but instantly they went back to operating the payloads and collecting all the science data and beaming it down to the Earth.' One of the historic photos even included Venus in the distance, according to Firefly Aerospace. Scientists are planning to further analyze the photos for a mysterious phenomenon known as lunar horizon glow. (The last astronaut to walk on the moon, Apollo 17's Gene Cernan, first documented the theory more than 50 years ago.) 'What we've got is a really beautiful, aesthetic image showing some really unusual features,' NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Joel Kearns said at a press conference, the Associated Press reported. Related: Astronaut Wears 'Alien' Mask to Greet SpaceX Crew at the International Space Station "Lunar dust particles can become charged due to exposure to the solar ultraviolet radiation," Kearns said, according to Fox Weather. "These particles can experience what we think is electrostatic repulsion, causing them to lift off of the lunar surface." Scientists believe this effect can cause dirt or bedrock on the surface to appear to dance in the sunlight, the report said. As part of the expedition, Blue Ghost carried out 10 experiments for NASA under the agency's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Related: 'Stranded' Astronauts Spent 9 Months in Space. Here's How Much They Might Earn – and Why It Doesn't Include Overtime 'We're incredibly proud of the demonstrations Blue Ghost enabled from tracking GPS signals on the Moon for the first time to robotically drilling and collecting science deeper into the lunar surface than ever before,' Kim said, according to the company. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Though the lunar lander is not expected to survive the two-week, bitterly cold lunar night, the AP reported, the team will try to reactivate the spacecraft in early April. Read the original article on People
The Independent
18-03-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Blue Ghost lander captures stunning sunset shots on the moon before falling silent
A private lunar lander has captured the first high-definition sunset pictures from the moon. Firefly Aerospace and NASA released the stunning photos Tuesday, taken before the Blue Ghost lander fell silent over the weekend. One shot included Venus in the distance. Firefly's Blue Ghost landed on the moon on March 2, the first private spacecraft to touch down upright and perform its entire mission. It kept taking pictures and collecting science data five hours into the lunar night before it died for lack of solar energy. NASA's Joel Kearns said Blue Ghost's series of sunset shots are the first high-resolution images from Earth 's neighbor. Scientists will need to analyze them in depth, he noted, before making any determination about the horizon glow captured in at least one of the photos and whether it was created by levitating dust. That theory was put forth more than a half-century ago by Apollo 17's Gene Cernan, the last astronaut to walk on the moon. 'What we've got is a really beautiful, aesthetic image showing some really unusual features," Kearns said at a news conference. Blue Ghost carried 10 experiments for NASA under the space agency's commercial lunar delivery program. While all objectives were met, officials said, the on-board drill could only penetrate 3 feet (1 meter) into the moon versus the 10 feet (3 meters) that had been planned. Firefly said it will try to activate the lunar in early April following the two-week, bitter cold lunar night, although engineers are doubtful it will crank back up. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Blue Ghost lander captures stunning sunset shots on the moon before falling silent
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A private lunar lander has captured the first high-definition sunset pictures from the moon. Firefly Aerospace and NASA released the stunning photos Tuesday, taken before the Blue Ghost lander fell silent over the weekend. One shot included Venus in the distance. Firefly's Blue Ghost landed on the moon on March 2, the first private spacecraft to touch down upright and perform its entire mission. It kept taking pictures and collecting science data five hours into the lunar night before it died for lack of solar energy. NASA's Joel Kearns said Blue Ghost's series of sunset shots are the first high-resolution images from Earth's neighbor. Scientists will need to analyze them in depth, he noted, before making any determination about the horizon glow captured in at least one of the photos and whether it was created by levitating dust. That theory was put forth more than a half-century ago by Apollo 17's Gene Cernan, the last astronaut to walk on the moon. 'What we've got is a really beautiful, aesthetic image showing some really unusual features," Kearns said at a news conference. Blue Ghost carried 10 experiments for NASA under the space agency's commercial lunar delivery program. While all objectives were met, officials said, the on-board drill could only penetrate 3 feet (1 meter) into the moon versus the 10 feet (3 meters) that had been planned. Firefly said it will try to activate the lunar in early April following the two-week, bitter cold lunar night, although engineers are doubtful it will crank back up. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
