NASA’s Blue Ghost private lunar lander made history on March 2 by landing softly on the moon, becoming only the second private spacecraft to do so. The lander carried 10 NASA science instruments, including SCALPSS, a camera system designed to capture footage of thruster plumes interacting with lunar dirt and rock during touchdown.
SCALPSS captured unprecedented images of Blue Ghost’s descent and landing in the Mare Crisium basin on the moon’s near side. The footage shows the onset of interaction between the lander’s reaction control thruster plumes and the surface beginning at around 49 feet above the ground, with the plumes kicking up lunar dust and rocks as the lander touches down.
The camera system consists of six cameras with varying focal lengths, stitching together images from four wide-view cameras that took photos at a rate of eight frames per second during descent. The footage provides valuable insights into plume-surface interaction, which is crucial for designing and operating future lunar landers and surface infrastructure.
SCALPSS remains operational on the lunar surface, capturing additional data as the sun’s position shifts over Mare Crisium. This technology will inform NASA’s Artemis program, aiming to return astronauts to the moon and set up bases near the lunar south pole.
Source: https://www.space.com/the-universe/moon/watch-moon-dust-fly-as-private-blue-ghost-lunar-lander-touches-down-video