Title: Upcoming U.S. Moon Mission to Witness a "Total Earth Eclipse" During a "Blood Moon"
Got it, let's rephrase the original article while incorporating some insights from the enrichment data. Here's the fresh take:
While NASA is planning its crewed Moon mission for 2026, commercial U.S. company, Firefly Aerospace, is gearing up for its "Ghostrider In The Sky" mission. Scheduled to launch from Florida on January 15, 2025, the Blue Ghost lander will orbit Earth for 25 days before heading towards the moon. Aiming to capture a unique view of a total lunar eclipse, the lander will land near Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium in the moon's northeast region in March 2025.
The lander will not be alone in its mission. It will carry a 360-degree camera that will photograph a halo of light around the Earth during the total lunar eclipse. According to Firefly Aerospace, our perspective on Earth would perceive a lunar eclipse, where the Moon gets shadowed out. Contrariwise, from the moon, the Moon's inhabitants would witness a solar eclipse, with the Earth blocking the Sun[1].
The Blue Ghost's journey also includes investigating the lunar horizon glow, a mysterious phenomenon documented by Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene Cernan before he became the last man on the moon in 1972. The glow is thought to be caused by dust in the moon's thin atmosphere that becomes visible during sunset. However, the exact reason behind this phenomenon remains unclear[1].
Firefly Aerospace has banked on its powerful battery to capture high-definition images of the lunar solar eclipse and the lunar sunset, making it their first mission to the moon. Despite having a limited operation time of one lunar day, equivalent to 14 Earth days, the Blue Ghost lander is well-designed to capture beautiful footage of the moon's sunset before plunging into the cold, dark 14-day stretch[6].
The Blue Ghost Moon mission is set to carry various projects as part of NASA's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, including lunar GPS, studying the moon's dust samples, and testing radiation-proof computers[2]. NASA announced that their crewed moon mission scheduled for April 2026, Artemis II, will carry four astronauts on a lunar flyby without landing, while the subsequent Artemis III mission for a crewed lunar landing will occur in mid-2027[2].
In conclusion, the Blue Ghost lander's mission to the moon in 2025 promises to capture awe-inspiring footage of the lunar total eclipse, solar eclipse, and lunar horizon glow. This commercial mission will contribute to NASA's long-term goal of returning humans to the moon for scientific exploration and discovery.
When is the next lunar eclipse that the Blue Ghost lander will capture during its mission? The upcoming lunar eclipse will occur in March 2025, providing an opportunity for the lander to capture a unique view. Are you interested in photographing a lunar eclipse yourself? To do so, waiting for the next solar eclipse in 2025 might be a better option. NASA has announced that Artemis II, their crewed moon mission scheduled for April 2026, will carry astronauts on a lunar flyby without landing, and the subsequent Artemis III mission for a crewed lunar landing will occur in mid-2027.
One of the objectives of the Blue Ghost lander's mission is to investigate the lunar horizon glow, a mysterious phenomenon that has puzzled scientists since Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene Cernan documented it in 1972. If you're curious about this fascinating phenomenon, wait for the Blue Ghost lander's mission results, as it aims to shed some light on the cause of the lunar horizon glow. Are you fascinated by space missions like the one by Firefly Aerospace and NASA's Artemis campaign? Keep an eye out for future lunar eclipses, as they always bring a unique and awe-inspiring view of the universe.
