Latest news with #Surveyor3
CBC
23-05-2025
- Science
- CBC
With uncertainty around life on Mars, human visits present an ethical dilemma
The first step by a human on the surface of Mars will inevitably transfer Earthly microbes onto Martian soil. Scientists are increasingly concerned with what the implications of contaminating another planet will be. A recent study, published this month in the journal Microbiome, analyzed the clean rooms at the Kennedy Space Center, where Mars landers are sterilized before launch. The team found 26 species of novel bacteria that could potentially survive the harsh environment of space. These organisms contain genes that enhance DNA repair, detoxification of harmful molecules, and enhance metabolism, all of which makes them more hardy. NASA goes to great lengths to ensure any spacecraft that departs for Mars is sterilized in these ultra-clean rooms and sealed in capsules before launch to prevent cross-contamination between two planets. We don't know whether any of these microbes actually made it to Mars because we have no way of examining the spacecraft while they are on the Red Planet. The chances of microbes surviving the vacuum of space, extreme temperatures, along with solar and cosmic radiation are slim, however there was a case where Earth microbes did seem to survive for years on the moon. In 1969, the crew of Apollo 12 landed close to a robotic probe called Surveyor 3 which had arrived on the lunar surface three years earlier. The astronauts removed a television camera, electrical cables and a sample scoop which were returned to Earth for study on the long term effects of exposure to space. To everyone's surprise, a common bacteria, Streptococcus mitis, was found inside the camera lens. This harmless organism, normally found in the mouth and throat of humans, was thought to have been on the spacecraft before launch because Surveyor was not sterilized. A later study done by NASA in 1998 suggested the bacteria could have come from contamination due to poor procedures after the lens was returned to Earth. But there is still the possibility that microbes could survive in space. Sterilizing a robotic spacecraft to prevent contamination is one thing, but sterilizing human beings is impossible. We are substantially made of bacteria, covered in microbes from head to toe and internally, constantly shedding them with dead skin and other detritus. And those organisms will travel with us to Mars. WATCH | Saturday cleaning day on the Space Station: New species of bacteria have been found inside China's Tiangong-1 space station and astronauts on the International Space Station are constantly cleaning the walls to prevent the buildup of microbes in that sealed environment. This is evidence that bacteria can survive the higher radiation environment of a space habitat. That means any human boot that touches the Martian soil will bring with it organisms from inside the spacecraft or colony. Whether those bugs could survive long in the Martian environment is to be determined, but the more serious issue is what they would do to any indigenous organisms that could already be living on Mars. Curiosity, one of the rovers currently driving around on the Red Planet, has been collecting soil samples from different areas and sealing them in tubes to be collected and returned to Earth by a future sample return mission. The idea is to look for signs of current life or fossils of past life using the powerful tools in Earth laboratories. But NASA is proposing cancelling the sample return, so we may not know for some time whether microbes exist in Martian soil. Mars shows signs of a warm and wet past, where the planet was once covered with lakes, rivers and oceans. This was during a time, roughly three billion years ago, when life was emerging on Earth. So far, no signs of life have been found on Mars, but we have only been looking on the surface, not underground where water might exist. Still, there is talk of sending people to Mars, even establishing a Mars colony. But is that wise before we determine whether the planet has life or not? In the classic science fiction story, War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, Martians come to Earth with invincible machines that wreak havoc on cities. Our most powerful weapons are useless against their incredible power. But eventually, the invaders are taken down by the tiniest creature, the common cold, for which they had no resistance. In real life, the tables are turned.
CNN
14-03-2025
- Science
- CNN
Blue Ghost lander captured a solar eclipse while on the moon. See the stunning imagery here
While parts of the Earth experienced a total lunar eclipse early Friday, a spacecraft on the moon captured the spectacle from a different perspective — a solar eclipse that appeared as a fiery ring in space. The Blue Ghost lunar lander, which has been on the moon since the spacecraft's successful touchdown on March 2, captured images of the sun, Earth and moon lined up at around 4:30 a.m. ET, the private Texas-based company Firefly Aerospace announced Friday. The lander captured what is known as the 'diamond ring' effect, which is when light from the sun peeks through right before totality — in this case when the Earth fully blocked the sun — and after. Firefly Aerospace also shared footage made up of several images stitched together that the lander had rapidly captured during the solar eclipse. These images show the spacecraft taking on a deep red hue as the sunlight is refracted through the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in a shadow cast on the lunar surface. 'Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander had the rare opportunity to operate on the Moon and capture the first (high-definition) imagery of a total solar eclipse on March 14,' Will Coogan, Blue Ghost's chief engineer, said in a email. 'This is the first time in history a commercial company has ever been operational during an eclipse on the Moon, and we're incredibly proud of the imagery we've downlinked so far.' The images came in after the lander's X-band antenna — the device used to beam data and images back from the vehicle — warmed up after facing cold temperatures during the darkness caused by totality, Firefly Aerospace posted on X. 'Operating for nearly 5 hours of darkness during a total eclipse is as challenging as operating during the lunar night — temperatures on the Moon can quickly drop below -100°C (minus 148 degrees Fahrenheit) and there's no sunlight to provide power, so the lander was solely running on battery power,' Coogan said in an email. 'But this team continues to raise the bar and make achievements that are incredibly difficult look easy.' A spacecraft has captured an eclipse while on the moon's surface only one other time. In 1967, NASA's Surveyor 3 lander, which had been sent to gather data in preparation for the Apollo missions, captured a series of images that documented the first view of an eclipse from another celestial body. Related gallery In pictures: March blood moon lights up the sky The Blue Ghost lander has been documenting its journey through space since it left Earth on January 15, sharing breathtaking imagery of the moon and Earth. Next up, Firefly looks to capture the lunar sunset on Sunday. During lunar sunsets, a mysterious phenomenon occurs when the moon's horizon glows, which is believed to be caused by sunlight scattering through floating electrostatic particles, according to NASA. Firefly CEO Jason Kim has told CNN that he is looking forward to verifying this event. 'There's a phenomenon called the lunar horizon glow that only the Apollo 15 and 17 astronauts have seen with their eyes,' Kim said. 'We're going to be able to capture that in 4K-by-4K high-definition video and share that with the rest of the world.' Besides sharing the imagery, Blue Ghost has 10 NASA science and technology instruments aboard as part of the space agency's Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS, initiative. CLPS is part of NASA's broader Artemis program, which aims to land astronauts on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. The instruments are currently working to collect data primarily on the moon's subsurface, such as lunar dust and regolith, the loose rocks and mineral fragments that cover the lunar surface. Shortly after the sunset, the lander will continue to operate for several hours during the lunar nighttime before the period of darkness and cold temperatures are expected to cause the spacecraft to cease operations.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Blue Ghost lander captured a solar eclipse while on the moon. See the stunning imagery here
Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. While parts of the Earth experienced a total lunar eclipse early Friday, a spacecraft on the moon captured the spectacle from a different perspective — a solar eclipse that appeared as a fiery ring in space. The Blue Ghost lunar lander, which has been on the moon since the spacecraft's successful touchdown on March 2, captured images of the sun, Earth and moon lined up at around 4:30 a.m. ET, the private Texas-based company Firefly Aerospace announced Friday. The lander captured what is known as the 'diamond ring' effect, which is when light from the sun peeks through right before totality — in this case when the Earth fully blocked the sun — and after. Firefly Aerospace also shared footage made up of several images stitched together that the lander had rapidly captured during the solar eclipse. These images show the spacecraft taking on a deep red hue as the sunlight is refracted through the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in a shadow cast on the lunar surface. 'Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander had the rare opportunity to operate on the Moon and capture the first (high-definition) imagery of a total solar eclipse on March 14,' Will Coogan, Blue Ghost's chief engineer, said in a email. 'This is the first time in history a commercial company has ever been operational during an eclipse on the Moon, and we're incredibly proud of the imagery we've downlinked so far.' The images came in after the lander's X-band antenna — the device used to beam data and images back from the vehicle — warmed up after facing cold temperatures during the darkness caused by totality, Firefly Aerospace posted on X. 'Operating for nearly 5 hours of darkness during a total eclipse is as challenging as operating during the lunar night — temperatures on the Moon can quickly drop below -100°C (minus 148 degrees Fahrenheit) and there's no sunlight to provide power, so the lander was solely running on battery power,' Coogan said in an email. 'But this team continues to raise the bar and make achievements that are incredibly difficult look easy.' A spacecraft has captured an eclipse while on the moon's surface only one other time. In 1967, NASA's Surveyor 3 lander, which had been sent to gather data in preparation for the Apollo missions, captured a series of images that documented the first view of an eclipse from another celestial body. The Blue Ghost lander has been documenting its journey through space since it left Earth on January 15, sharing breathtaking imagery of the moon and Earth. Next up, Firefly looks to capture the lunar sunset on Sunday. During lunar sunsets, a mysterious phenomenon occurs when the moon's horizon glows, which is believed to be caused by sunlight scattering through floating electrostatic particles, according to NASA. Firefly CEO Jason Kim has told CNN that he is looking forward to verifying this event. 'There's a phenomenon called the lunar horizon glow that only the Apollo 15 and 17 astronauts have seen with their eyes,' Kim said. 'We're going to be able to capture that in 4K-by-4K high-definition video and share that with the rest of the world.' Besides sharing the imagery, Blue Ghost has 10 NASA science and technology instruments aboard as part of the space agency's Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS, initiative. CLPS is part of NASA's broader Artemis program, which aims to land astronauts on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. The instruments are currently working to collect data primarily on the moon's subsurface, such as lunar dust and regolith, the loose rocks and mineral fragments that cover the lunar surface. Shortly after the sunset, the lander will continue to operate for several hours during the lunar nighttime before the period of darkness and cold temperatures are expected to cause the spacecraft to cease operations.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Spacecraft captures solar eclipse from the moon
(dpa) - The lunar lander Blue Ghost experienced a total solar eclipse on the moon overnight, while a lunar eclipse was visible from some places on Earth. Cameras on the Blue Ghost, built by Texas-based company Firefly Aerospace, recorded the Earth moving in front of the Sun across the lunar horizon and obscuring it, sending images back to Earth. The two-metre-long spacecraft landed on the Moon in early March in the Mare Crisium, an area with a diameter of about 500 kilometres. It is currently examining the Moon with scientific instruments until Sunday. The mission, called "Ghost Riders in the Sky,", is the first lunar mission for Firefly Aerospace, which had previously mainly developed launchers. It's not the first time a device has captured a solar eclipse from another celestial body. In 1967, the "Surveyor 3" lunar mission took numerous pictures of the Earth as it moved in front of the Sun. Two years later, the crew of Apollo 12 witnessed the same on their return from the Moon.
CNN
14-03-2025
- Science
- CNN
Blue Ghost lander captured a solar eclipse while on the moon. See the stunning imagery here
While parts of the Earth experienced a total lunar eclipse early Friday, a spacecraft on the moon captured the spectacle from a different perspective — a solar eclipse that appeared as a fiery ring in space. The Blue Ghost lunar lander, which has been on the moon since the spacecraft's successful touchdown on March 2, captured images of the sun, Earth and moon lined up at around 4:30 a.m. ET, the private Texas-based company Firefly Aerospace announced Friday. The lander captured what is known as the 'diamond ring' effect, which is when light from the sun peeks through right before totality — in this case when the Earth fully blocked the sun — and after. Firefly Aerospace also shared footage made up of several images stitched together that the lander had rapidly captured during the solar eclipse. These images show the spacecraft taking on a deep red hue as the sunlight is refracted through the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in a shadow cast on the lunar surface. 'Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander had the rare opportunity to operate on the Moon and capture the first (high-definition) imagery of a total solar eclipse on March 14,' Will Coogan, Blue Ghost's chief engineer, said in a email. 'This is the first time in history a commercial company has ever been operational during an eclipse on the Moon, and we're incredibly proud of the imagery we've downlinked so far.' The images came in after the lander's X-band antenna — the device used to beam data and images back from the vehicle — warmed up after facing cold temperatures during the darkness caused by totality, Firefly Aerospace posted on X. 'Operating for nearly 5 hours of darkness during a total eclipse is as challenging as operating during the lunar night — temperatures on the Moon can quickly drop below -100°C (minus 148 degrees Fahrenheit) and there's no sunlight to provide power, so the lander was solely running on battery power,' Coogan said in an email. 'But this team continues to raise the bar and make achievements that are incredibly difficult look easy.' A spacecraft has captured an eclipse while on the moon's surface only one other time. In 1967, NASA's Surveyor 3 lander, which had been sent to gather data in preparation for the Apollo missions, captured a series of images that documented the first view of an eclipse from another celestial body. Related gallery In pictures: March blood moon lights up the sky The Blue Ghost lander has been documenting its journey through space since it left Earth on January 15, sharing breathtaking imagery of the moon and Earth. Next up, Firefly looks to capture the lunar sunset on Sunday. During lunar sunsets, a mysterious phenomenon occurs when the moon's horizon glows, which is believed to be caused by sunlight scattering through floating electrostatic particles, according to NASA. Firefly CEO Jason Kim has told CNN that he is looking forward to verifying this event. 'There's a phenomenon called the lunar horizon glow that only the Apollo 15 and 17 astronauts have seen with their eyes,' Kim said. 'We're going to be able to capture that in 4K-by-4K high-definition video and share that with the rest of the world.' Besides sharing the imagery, Blue Ghost has 10 NASA science and technology instruments aboard as part of the space agency's Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS, initiative. CLPS is part of NASA's broader Artemis program, which aims to land astronauts on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. The instruments are currently working to collect data primarily on the moon's subsurface, such as lunar dust and regolith, the loose rocks and mineral fragments that cover the lunar surface. Shortly after the sunset, the lander will continue to operate for several hours during the lunar nighttime before the period of darkness and cold temperatures are expected to cause the spacecraft to cease operations.
