Space Zoo Patrol – Landing System – Payload

Blue Ghost Mission 1   

by  Firefly Aerospace

  1. What is it called?

Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost Mission 1.

  1. What does it do? Goal?

Blue Ghost Mission 1 will deliver 10 science and technology instruments to the lunar surface as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. The payloads on Blue Ghost Mission 1 will help advance lunar research and conduct several first-of-its-kind demonstrations, including testing lunar soil, Global Navigation Satellite System abilities, radiation tolerant computing, and lunar dust mitigation. The data captured will also benefit humans on Earth by providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces impact Earth, among other valuable research.

  1. How does it work?

Upon launching on January 15, Blue Ghost is spending approximately 45 days traveling to the Moon, allowing ample time to conduct health checks on each subsystem and begin payload science. Blue Ghost is set to land in Mare Crisium on March 2 and operate payloads for a complete lunar day (about 14 Earth days). Following sunset, Blue Ghost will operate several hours into the lunar night.

Landing System - Payload 1
Landing Sequence Breakdown Graphic Credit: Firefly Aerospace

  1. How is it better than the older technology?

Blue Ghost will be contributing and adding on to information gathered from previous lunar missions. The investigations conducted by Blue Ghost’s payloads will help pave the way for humanity’s return to the Moon.

  1. What classes should I take in school to work on this?

Firefly has employees with various educational backgrounds conducting different jobs to support the Blue Ghost lunar lander. If you have an interest in Aerospace, study what you’re passionate about whether that be engineering, physics, marketing, or anything else. Then, look for hands-on opportunities geared towards aerospace/spacecraft to broaden your understanding and see how your field of interest can be applied. This could be robotics, rocket groups, engineering classes, astronomy, etc.

  1. Pictures
Landing System - Payload 2

Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost Mission 1-Lunar Lander preparing for encapsulation before launch

Landing System - Payload 3

Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost Mission 1-POV Earth

Landing System - Payload 4

Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost Mission 1-POV Moon

  1. Links

Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1https://fireflyspace.com/missions/blue-ghost-mission-1/