NASA recently made a bet that commercial companies could complete scientific missions to the moon at a lower cost than the agency could. Last year, there were setbacks as the first NASA-funded spacecraft missed the moon entirely, and the second one landed but fell over. However, this month, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost successfully completed its mission.
Blue Ghost collected a wealth of scientific observations on the lunar lava plain, Mare Crisium, before its solar-powered systems began to fail. Despite the looming end, scientists were thrilled with the success of the mission, appreciating the valuable data it provided. The mission captured exhaust plume dynamics and lunar dust behavior, essential for future lunar landings like SpaceX’s Starship.
The spacecraft also conducted experiments to understand lunar regolith and the moon’s interior, offering insights into the Moon’s formation and geology. The mission included devices to measure electric and magnetic fields underground, excavate lunar dirt, collect samples, and observe Earth’s magnetic field interactions with solar wind particles.
Brian Walsh’s experiment on Blue Ghost focused on observing Earth’s magnetic field and its interaction with solar winds, providing essential data for understanding how our planet is shielded from solar storms.
The success of the Blue Ghost mission has left a lasting impact on the scientists involved, with one remarking that they will forever view the moon differently knowing that Firefly’s spacecraft and their scientific instruments are still up there. NASA is pleased with the wealth of data collected during this mission and the potential advancements it offers for future lunar exploration.
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