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The Downlink • Mar 07, 2025
Good lunar morning
Space Snapshot
Good morning, Moon! This image captured by Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander on March 3 shows sunrise on the lunar surface. This marked the beginning of the lunar day and the start of Blue Ghost’s surface operations, which will last throughout one lunar day (about 14 Earth days). Image credit: Firefly Aerospace.
Fact Worth Sharing
Without an atmosphere, the temperature on the surface of the Moon depends almost entirely on direct sunlight. Near the Moon’s equator, temperatures can reach around 120 degrees Celsius (250 degrees Fahrenheit) in the daytime and then drop to -130 degrees Celsius (-208 degrees Fahrenheit) at night.
Mission Briefings
PlanetVac is sampling the Moon! Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost successfully landed on the Moon on March 2, carrying with it 10 NASA science and technology instruments, including Lunar PlanetVac. This sample collection technology was developed and tested by Honeybee Robotics, with key tests funded by Planetary Society members and donors. Firefly Aerospace confirmed this week that Lunar PlanetVac has been deployed to begin collecting samples of lunar regolith. Pictured: The Lunar PlanetVac instrument on the end of Blue Ghost’s Surface Access Arm. Image credit: Firefly Aerospace.
NASA is trying to regain contact with Lunar Trailblazer. The mission to search for water on the lunar surface successfully launched on Feb. 26, but ground teams lost contact with the spacecraft soon after. NASA is now working to reestablish telemetry and command functions, hoping to save the mission.
Lucy has spotted its next target. The NASA mission to study the Jupiter Trojan asteroids is currently en route to the small main belt asteroid Donaldjohanson, which it will fly past on April 20. The mission team recently shared photos from the spacecraft that show the asteroid in the distance. This will be Lucy’s second main belt asteroid encounter, preparing it for its main targets deeper in the Solar System.
Europa Clipper also made an en-route flyby this week. The spacecraft flew past Mars on March 1, using the planet’s gravity to adjust its trajectory. The NASA mission will enter Jupiter’s orbit in 2030 to study the icy moon Europa and its potential for life.
From The Planetary Society
OSIRIS-REx’s sample collection success is still paying off. The NASA spacecraft briefly touched the surface of the asteroid Bennu in 2020, collecting a sample of surface regolith that it returned to Earth in 2023. Since then, analysis of those samples has found several key ingredients that could help us understand the role asteroids played in delivering the building blocks of life to Earth. This week on Planetary Radio, hear from Scott Sandford, co-investigator on OSIRIS-REx and a research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center, about what we’ve learned from this sample return success story. Pictured: Rocks fly off asteroid Bennu after NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft touched the surface to collect a sample in 2020. Image credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona.
Catch up with The Planetary Society’s Book Club. This week, Society members joined NASA astronaut Nicole Stott in our virtual book club to discuss Samantha Harvey’s novel “Orbital.” You can watch a recording of the event here. In March, book club members will be reading "The Secret Life of the Universe" by Nathalie Cabrol, a leading astrobiologist and director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute. This book explores how life began on Earth and how this can help us uncover what’s needed for life’s existence elsewhere. The book club is exclusive to Planetary Society members. Not yet a member? Join today.
Celebrate with us at the Cosmic Shores Gala! On April 5, 2025, Planetary Society members and special guests will board the historic RMS Queen Mary, docked in California’s Long Beach Harbor, for a gala event celebrating our 45th anniversary. The Cosmic Shores Gala will feature a keynote address and discussion panel, a reception with a silent auction, dinner, and an awards presentation emceed by Robert Picardo with our CEO Bill Nye. Learn more and buy your tickets today.
What's Up
Super bright Venus shines low to the western horizon after sunset. Look for very bright Jupiter high in the evening sky, with reddish Mars a little to the east. In the early morning of March 14, a total lunar eclipse will be visible from the Americas, eastern Asia, Australia, Africa, and Europe. It may have a reddish color (leading some to call it a Blood Moon) from red light getting bent through Earth’s atmosphere. Learn more in our monthly night sky guide.
Wear your love of space on your sleeve
There’s never been a better time to proudly show your support for science, and Planetary Society apparel is a great way to do that. Our official store has hats, shirts, totes, buttons, and more that celebrate space, like this shirt design showing NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft zipping through the Jupiter system. All purchases directly support The Planetary Society’s mission to defend and advance space science and exploration.
Wow of the Week
This week, the family of the late actor Leonard Nimoy awarded Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye the Live Long and Prosper Tribute pendant (which he is wearing in this image), featuring the iconic gesture of the “Star Trek” character Spock, played by Nimoy. The tribute acknowledges Bill’s embodiment of the values and ideals that Nimoy championed throughout his life, including a commitment to science, education, and inspiring future generations. Image credit: The Planetary Society.
Send us your artwork!
We love to feature space artwork in the Downlink. If you create any kind of space-related art, we invite you to send it to us by replying to any Downlink email or writing to [email protected]. Please let us know in your email if you’re a Planetary Society member!