Lunar lander films sparks and explosions on the surface of the Moon

While the surface of the Moon is a barren wasteland, there has been quite a bit of activity recently, as the Blue Ghost lander successfully touched down on March 2, 2025. Now, sparks have been filmed.

NASA's Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity (LISTER)

Firefly's Blue Ghost lander is in full scientific operations mode since it landed on the surface of the Moon, specifically near the Mons Latreille, a lunar peak located within the basin called Mare Crisium, or the Sea of Crises. This location is in the northeastern region of the Moon's near side, and since the lander was confirmed to be healthy, scientific operations kicked off, with the company behind the lander, Firefly Aerospace, sharing footage of a recent operation using LISTER, or NASA's Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity (LISTER) payload.

This scientific instrument is a pneumatic, gas-powered drill developed by Texas Tech University and Honeybee Robotics, and it's designed to measure the temperature and flow of heat from within the Moon's interior. The operation seen above was conducted on March 3 and shows the drill creating explosive eruptions that generate sparks, which may be a result of the electrically charged lunar surface. The goal is for the probe to reach a depth of around 6 to 9 feet and measure the temperature of the Moon. The results will help researchers understand how heat flows through the Moon's interior.

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