A robotic spacecraft has beamed home crisp videos and eroticism definitationsnapshots of Earth eclipsing the moon.
Though lunar eclipsesgenerally aren't that unusual — stargazers can watch Earth's shadow obscuring the moon a few times a year — this was different.
Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander, a private spacecraft hired by NASAto take experiments to the moon, got a rare front-row seat of the spectacle in space. The phenomenon occurred when the blue marblecame between the moon and the spacecraft.
Blue Ghost, named after an exotic species of firefly, captured the below footage while flying laps around Earth as it gears up for its first attempt at a lunar touchdown. Almost two weeks ago, the spacecraft witnessed another majestic moment when Earth eclipsed the sun.
"Right now, we are in a period where we're mostly just coasting for the next week-and-a-half or so, until we do our (Trans Lunar Injection) maneuver," said Will Coogan, Blue Ghost's chief engineer, in a video update, referring to the step that puts the lander on a moonbound trajectory. "During that period, we're going to do a bunch of payload operations, continue with system checkouts, just make sure everything is precisely tuned before we do that."
SEE ALSO: Private moon spacecraft just took a breathtaking snapshot of EarthFirefly's lander, originally scheduled to lift off in late 2024, is the first NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Servicesmission of the year. The program has invested $2.6 billion in contracts with vendors from the private sector to help deliver instruments to the moon and send back crucial data.
The company is carrying 10 experiments for the space agency. NASA wants to see a regular cadence of moon missionsto prepare for astronaut-led Artemis expeditionsin 2027 or later.
Once Blue Ghost escapes Earth's gravitational pull, it will take four days for it to arrive at the moon. The spacecraft will spend 16 days in lunar orbit before dropping to the surface, planned to happen on March 2. The descent is expected to last about one hour.
Watch this time-lapse video of Firefly's Blue Ghost lander capturing Earth eclipsing the moon.
Last week, after flying some 715,000 miles, the team completed test runs on a NASA experiment dubbed SCALPSS, short for Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies. It will observe the effects of engine plumes on lunar soil.
As lunar trips become more frequent, the space agency wants to understand the impact those landings will have on other close vehicles and instruments. Firefly successfully received high-resolution images from all six of the SCALPSS cameras.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
"It's been kind of a perpetual grind. We've been working very hard to try and make this dream a reality," Coogan said. "The first images came down, and it forced everybody to pause and realize this thing we've been trying for, for all these years, is finally actually happening, and it's working."
The mission seems to be going smoothly so far, but the team hasn't encountered the hardest part yet. Landing on the moon is onerous. The moon's exosphereprovides virtually no drag to slow a spacecraft down as it approaches the ground. Furthermore, there are no GPS systems on the moon to help guide a craft to its landing spot.
So far just one company, Intuitive Machines, has made the journey all the way through lunar touchdown. Its craft landed sideways near the moon's south pole in February 2024, still managing to operate from its awkward position.
Transfer Steam Games to a New Drive Without Redownloading5 Days of Awesome Wallpapers: Geometric and Architectural WallpapersNvidia's DLSS Second Take: Metro Exodus InvestigationBest tool deal: Save up to 60% on select Craftsman tools at AmazonWindows To Go: How to Install and Run Windows 10 from a USB DriveBest tool deal: Save up to 60% on select Craftsman tools at AmazonNvidia GeForce RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti Overclocking GuideSoundcore by Anker P20i wireless earbuds' lowest price ever: $19.98Testing AMD's new Radeon Image Sharpening: Is It Better than Nvidia's DLSS?Best Hydro Flask deal: Save $10 on a 24The Best Strategy Games on PCBest earbuds deal: Save $35 on Soundcore Space A40Commissioning Misleading Core i9Get the Anker Prime Docking Station for $80 off at AmazonGeForce RTX on Your Laptop? What Form Will That Take and When?Hardware Essentials for $50 or LessSave 50% on the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max ahead of Memorial DayBest tool deal: Save up to 60% on select Craftsman tools at AmazonJudge forces 'Fortnite' return to iOS, as Microsoft and Spotify assistBack to School Tech Guide 2018 Google repeatedly shuts down questions on sexism—and that's a problem Amazon and the Dog Whisperer are bringing audiobooks to your posh pup Trump appointee claims Trump is the real victim of bizarre emails targeting Democrats John Oliver gets sewage plant named after him, pays a cheerful visit Trump just said the scariest thing of his presidency and this has gotten totally out of control Everything coming to Hulu in November 2020 Apple’s iPhone 12 apparently doesn’t support 5G in dual SIM mode, but a fix is coming Twitter is still letting you retweet. You don’t have to quote tweet. Adobe Photoshop is exposing your badly edited images Zack Snyder's 'Justice League' on HBO Max: The Snyder Cut explained The deepfake apocalypse never came. But cheapfakes are everywhere. Trump's latest social media video is a terrible masterpiece Massive alligator walks right up to a family's front door to say hello Halloween is a great time to explore wild kinks and BDSM role Uber and Lyft drivers are employees, California appeals court affirms BBC newsman totally hates his life because he has to report on surfing dogs Huawei Mate 40 Pro: Powerful new 5G chip, 90Hz display, still no Google services 5G drains iPhone 12's battery 20 percent faster, test shows Happily never after: Why more romantic comedies need to embrace 'ending up' alone The ad industry is still hilariously corrupt, report says
0.9179s , 10196.0390625 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【eroticism definitation】,Co-creation Information Network