Experience Breathtaking Close-Ups of the Moon as Blue Ghost Prepares for Upcoming Lunar Landing | CNN

The Blue Ghost lunar lander has been busy snapping stunning pictures of the Moon since it entered orbit on February 13. It’s been an exciting journey for everyone involved.

Recently, the lander sent back amazing footage of the Moon’s far side — a part we can’t see from Earth. This footage shows the rugged terrain, complete with craters and boulders, captured from just 120 kilometers (74.6 miles) above the surface. Firefly Aerospace, the Texas company responsible for the mission, shared this update last week.

Joseph Marlin, the deputy chief engineer for Blue Ghost, expressed his excitement about the new images. He said, “It’s surreal to see the real-life footage of the Moon. It reminds us of all the hard work that has led us to this point.” The lander left Earth’s orbit on February 8 and traveled nearly 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers) to reach the Moon.

Blue Ghost is now about halfway through its 16-day lunar orbit and is set to land on the Moon’s surface on March 2. It carries 10 NASA scientific instruments meant to gather crucial data. This mission supports NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), which is part of the larger Artemis program aiming to return humans to the Moon and eventually to Mars.

After landing, Blue Ghost will operate for about two weeks, studying the Moon’s subsurface materials like lunar dust and regolith. These findings are vital for future astronaut missions.

Marlin mentioned that this mission will help scientists prepare for human exploration. “Blue Ghost will help us gather data and test technologies for future astronaut missions,” he added.

Blue Ghost aims to land near Mons Latreille, an ancient volcanic formation in the Mare Crisium area, known as the “Sea of Crises.” After its operations, it will face the extreme conditions of lunar nighttime, pausing its work until daylight returns.

Engineers are particularly eager for what the lander will discover after it lands, including some exciting upcoming events. On March 14, the lander expects to capture a solar eclipse from the Moon’s viewpoint. This eclipse will cast Blue Ghost into shadow for about five hours.

Following that, on March 16, the mission will also try to capture the lunar sunset. The team hopes to observe a phenomenon where lunar dust appears to “levitate” above the surface, a captivating event first sketched by the last Apollo astronaut on the Moon.