Studying Mare Crisium

NASA Science Payloads

Firefly is sending its Blue Ghost 1 lander to Mare Crisium. It will deliver 10 NASA science payloads to the lunar surface that will provide invaluable data to the lunar science community by addressing topics like regolith behavior, interior composition, and more.

Science Goals

Positioning and Navigation
Determining precise locations will be useful for everything from distance and elevation measurements to executing precision landings in a desired location. NGLR will establish lunar fiducial markers that will allow for current and future missions to precisely map to and locate specific areas of the Moon. LuGRE will collect GPS and Galileo measures intended to assist with navigation.
Regolith Adherence
The Moon’s surface is quite the dusty landscape. As we design technologies and experiments for the lunar surface, regolith dust needs to be better understood and accounted for. Lunar dust could affect mechanical components, Earth-based material degradation, and human health, so we need to know how to best account for its effects. RAC, EDS, and LPV will help us study how lunar dust adheres to various materials and test the usage of electromagnetism to mitigate or prevent dust buildup.
Interior Heat Flow
The lunar interior’s heat flow can provide information applicable to many topics the science community is curious about. Data collected by LPV and LISTER could shed light on the history of the Moon’s formation, tidal interactions, crustal thickness, volatiles, and help humans plan future exploration, including using the Moon’s natural resources for human habitation.
Plume-Surface Interactions
Landing a craft on the Moon requires the craft to fire a reverse-thruster to slow its landing speed. This effect creates a large plume of dust. Believe it or not, we can learn quite a bit by studying these plumes, which is exactly what SCALPSS 1.1 will do. Furthermore, LISTER and LPV are pneumatic drilling and mining systems that can teach us about how gases and regolith interact. We can better design our landing procedures to be more effective (and make less of a mess) without compromising ground we’d like to study and it will teach us more about how gases and particles interact in reduced-gravity environments.
Earth’s Magnetosphere
LEXI will use X-ray imagery to study Earth’s magnetosphere — where Earth’s magnetic field interacts with solar winds. We can use this data to inform decisions on Earth about weather predictions, protect GPS and satellite connectivity, and prevent power outages caused by space weather. X-ray imaging will provide us with invaluable high-resolution views of Earth’s magnetosphere.
Temperature Structure and Thermal Evolution
LMS will help us study lunar crustal and magnetic fields while LISTER measures temperature and thermal conductivity, which will give us a better idea of the Moon’s internal structure, its thermal evolution, resource identification, applications across planetary science, and advancements in human lunar exploration.

Overhead view of a pockmarked landform on the Moon. Light catches the curved edge of the ridge on the left; its right edge is in shadow.

Next Generation Lunar Retroreflector (NGLR)

The NGLR instrument sits on a lab table. It has the shape of a cup, with mounting legs that allow the cup to swivel in a single direction. Many reflectors inside the "cup" are visibly shiny and reflective.

A Next Generation Lunar Retroreflector (NGLR) sits on an adjustable multidirectional mount.

Dr. Douglas Currie

Summary: The Next Generation Lunar Retroreflector (NGLR) serves as a target for lasers on Earth to precisely measure the distance between Earth and the Moon. The NGLR will reflect very short laser pulses from Earth-based Lunar Laser Ranging Observatories (LLROs). The laser pulse transit time to the Moon and back is used to determine the distance. The original Apollo retroflectors provided the coordinates for the Moon that we use today. NGLR will greatly improve upon the Apollo results with sub-millimeter range measurements, providing advances in the lunar coordinate system in advance of the Artemis program. The NGLR will support the Lunar Laser Ranging Program for a long-term investigation of lunar physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology. The improved ranging accuracy from NGLR will contribute to bettering our understanding of the inner structure of the Moon and in addressing theories of dark matter.
Type of Instrument: Cube Corner Retroreflector, housing, and mounting structure
Key Measurement: Precise distances to estimate lunar core oblateness, elastic tides, lunar tidal dissipation, Core/Mantle boundary dissipation, free physical librations, lunar cartography, and gravitomagnetism
Task Order: CLPS TO 19D
Lead Development Organization: University of Maryland
Payload PI: Dr. Douglas Currie

Radiation Tolerant Computer System (RadPC)

RadPC will provide detailed radiation information about the lunar landing site with a focus on ionizing radiation.

NASA/Montana State University

Summary: The Radiation Tolerant Computer (RadPC) is a technology demonstration of a radiation tolerant computer system. RadPC implements a set of fault mitigation strategies to recover from single event effects (SEEs) caused by ionizing radiation. The recovery procedures are implemented on a commercial Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). By using a modern commercial FPGA, an acceptable level of total ionizing dose (TID) can be achieved inherently while simultaneously taking advantage of the performance and power efficiency of commercial parts. The RadPC payload contains the computer technology running a comprehensive test program along with instrumentation on its state-of-health. Three dosimeters (detectors designed to measure the ionizing radiation) tuned to different sensitivity levels are included in the payload to provide further environmental information for correlation to RadPC’s performance and to provide detailed radiation information about the lunar landing site.
Type of Instrument: Radiation tolerant computer system: payload enclosure, dosimeter, thermal management system, Field Programmable Gate array circuit
Key Measurement: Ionizing radiation energy levels
Task Order: CLPS TO 19D
Lead Development Organization: Montana State University
Payload PI: Dr. Brock J. LaMeres

Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC)

The instrument appears as a white rectangle, resting its long side on a white table and split in the middle. The right side is covered. The left side contains a wheel of samples, a circle with 15 smaller circles running around its perimeter. The smaller circles vary in color (e.g., grey, white, rust). Around the edges of the device are various gold hash marks. Three individuals wearing protective gear stand in the background.

RAC being delivered and fit checked at Firefly Aerospace.

NASA/Firefly Aerospace/Aegis Aerospace

A graphic image of the device is attached to the outside of a lander. Only the bottom corner of the lander is shown to focus on the mounted device. The rectangular, grey instrument shows its two identical sample wheels side by side with samples varying in color.

Schematic of the Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC) payload affixed to a lander.

NASA/Alpha Space Test and Research Alliance, LLC

Summary: RAC will determine how lunar regolith sticks to a range of materials exposed to the Moon’s environment throughout the lunar day. Its purpose is to help scientists progress in their endeavor to protect spacecraft, spacesuits and habitats from abrasion. Thirty samples, including a dust collection disk, thermal control paint, Kapton, and titanium, have been provided by NASA and the industry. The samples constitute two identical sets of 15 samples that are contained in two wheels, denoted “A” and “B,” which rotate into view of cameras every 24 hours for imaging. The “B” wheel, which is covered until post-landing commissioning is complete (a few hours after landing), acts as a control for transit effects on the “A” wheel, which is exposed for the entire mission. RAC will also quantify accumulation rates caused by landing and routine lander operations. RAC will collect IR, UV, and temperature data to augment science return of the 5.1 MP images. Operations are autonomous with some ground commanding access for recovery and contingency. Components of this experiment are derived from Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) on ISS.
Type of Instrument: Dust collector/detector - Collection of panels with different materials
Key Measurement: RAC will measure accumulation rates of lunar regolith on the surfaces of several materials (e.g., solar cells, optical systems, coatings, and sensors) through imaging to determine their ability to repel or shed lunar regolith/dust.
Task Order: CLPS TO 19D
Lead Development Organization: Aegis Aerospace, Inc.
Payload PI: Matt Carter

Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder (LMS)

LMS will determine the structure and composition of the Moon’s mantle by studying electric and magnetic fields.

NASA/Southwest Research Institute

Summary: The Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder measures natural time-varying electric and magnetic fields from the solar wind and Earth’s magnetosphere to determine the electrical conductivity profile of the Moon’s interior. This investigation will constrain the temperature structure and history of the Moon, as well as distinguish the "normal" Mare Crisium region from the anomalous western nearside of the Moon (where all of the Apollo landings occurred). The instrument uses components and heritage from several prior missions, including MAVEN, THEMIS, and MSL-RAD.
Type of Instrument: Electrometer and Magnetometer
Key Measurement: The ratio of the electric field spectrum to the magnetic field spectrum at the lunar surface determines the frequency-dependent ground impedance, akin to Ohm's Law. This in turn allows the depth-dependent conductivity to be recovered.
Task Order: CLPS TO19D
Lead Development Organization: Southwest Research Institute
Payload PI: Dr. Robert Grimm

Lunar Environment Heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI)

Lunar Environment Heliophysics X-ray Imager (LEXI) TO19D CLPS payload

LEXI undergoing final inspection before delivery to the lander. The payload will make wide field-of-view images of Earth’s magnetosheath and magnetopause.

NASA/GSFC/Boston University

Summary: LEXI is a wide field-of-view soft X-ray imager that will image Earth’s magnetosheath and magnetopause to study how energy is coupled from the flowing solar wind into Earth's space environment to generate geomagnetic storms and space weather. The payload detects soft X-ray photons (0.1 - 2 keV) emitted from the charge exchange between high charge state solar wind ions and neutrals in Earth’s exosphere. To learn more about Earth’s magnetosphere, see NASA’s THEMIS Mission.

Type of Instrument: nine lobster-eye, micropore, optical elements on a single mounting plate with a 75 cm radius of curvature.
Key Measurement: imaging the magnetopause through a wide field of view, soft X-ray imager. (Heliospheric X-ray Imager)
Task Order: CLPS TO 19D
Lead Development Organization: Boston University
Payload PI: Dr. Brian Walsh

Lunar PlanetVac (LPV)

This graphic demonstrates how the few dozen pieces that comprise LTV fit together. The silver parts are disassembled and suspended in the air frozen, displaying the overall shape of the instrument while allowing space to observe the construction. The silver metal base extends up to the left at a slant, and the remaining components follow the same diagonal direction.

This simulated graphic shows the internal workings of Lunar PlanetVac (LPV), whose three complex subsystems and transfer hoses will capture samples of regolith up to one centimeter long.

NASA/GSFC/Honeybee Robotics

Lunar PlanetVan (LPV) with protective casing.

NASA/GSFC/Honeybee Robotics

Summary: PlanetVac will collect samples of lunar regolith (soil) from the surface using a pneumatic technique (powered by compressed gas) and its delivery system will transfer the samples to other instruments that will analyze the material. The payload will be attached to a lander footpad and connected to instruments via a pneumatic transfer hose. Lunar PlanetVac is a pneumatic based sample acquisition and delivery system that will acquire and transfer lunar regolith from the surface to other instruments that will analyze the material. It consists of three subsystems: Sampling Head, Transfer Tube, and Sample Container. Pressurized gas is jetted towards the surface within the Sampling Head, stirring up the regolith into a cloud of dust. A secondary set of jets pointed up the Transfer Tube carry this regolith directly into a Sample Container. The sampling operation takes a few seconds and does not require human in the loop. Captured regolith, up to 1 cm in size, will be sieved and photographed inside the Sample Container. LPV is classified as a technology is applicable for any mission or instrument that requires a surface (or subsurface) sample.
Type of Instrument: Pneumatic regolith sampling system
Key Measurement: LPV will collect and sort surface lunar regolith within a sample collection chamber.
Task Order: CLPS TO 19D
Lead Development Organization: Honeybee Robotics
Payload PI: Dr. Kris Zacny

Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity (LISTER )

LISTER will penetrate the Moon’s core, track the flow of heat, and quantify it.

NASA/GSFC/Texas Tech

Summary: LISTER will measure the flow of heat originating from the interior of the Moon. It is designed to penetrate 2- to 3-m depth into the Moon’s rock and dust surface (the lunar regolith) and determine the heat flow as a product of two separate measurements: thermal gradient – how temperature changes with depth; and thermal conductivity – how well heat flows via conduction – at various depths using five measurements.
Type of Instrument: pneumatically-drilled subsurface thermal probe
Key Measurement: quantify the heat flow through temperature and the thermal conductivity measurements
Task Order: CLPS TO 19D
Lead Development Organization: Texas Tech University
Payload PI: Dr. Seiichi Nagihara

Note: See also CP12

Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies (SCALPSS) 1.1

A set of four cameras mounted on a metal wheel, along with control circuitry and processing units, undergo vibration testing in a lab. For some reason, there is a tape dispenser that appears to be from the 70s in the background. I imagine this wasn't part of the experiment.

SCALPSS undergoing environmental testing in the lab.

NASA/LaRC

Summary: SCALPSS 1.1 is a slightly enhanced version of the original SCALPSS payload, which deployed as a part of CLPS Task Order 2-IM (Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 mission). It will capture video and still image data of the lunar surface prior to, during, and after the lander’s descent engine plumes interact with the lunar surface. The 1.1 version features two additional cameras, which are optimized to begin capturing image data at a higher altitude prior to the expected onset of plume-surface interaction. By collecting topographical data through stereo photogrammetry both prior to and after Plume-Surface Interactions (PSI), an accurate measurement of the total erosion and crater volume can be made. The enhancements on 1.1 will provide a more accurate before-and-after PSI comparison. Transient data collected while PSI is occurring will add information regarding the rate at which the surface morphology changes. This data will then be used to validate computational models of PSI effects which are critical in the design and risk evaluation of future large lunar landers. The SCALPSS 1.1 payload is based off the Entry, Descent, and Landing Camera Suite (EDL) used by the Mars 2020 lander, which acquired visual data via complement of camera systems.
Type of Instrument: Camera
Key Measurement: Topography data to accurately determine the total erosion and crater volume during PSI as well as the rate of change. Return of validation data for computational models of PSI effects to be used on future landers.
Task Order: CLPS TO19D
Lead Development Organization: NASA LaRC
Payload PI: Michelle Munk

Note: See also TO2-IM

Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS)

Two glass test slides side-by-side. One is covered in a simulated Moon dust while the other, covered by the EDS, shows protection from the same Moon dust.

The Electronic Dust Shield (EDS) will test the use of electricity to protect sensors from lunar atmospheric materials.

NASA

Summary: Hazardous dust is present on Mars, the Moon, and comets. The Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) is an active dust mitigation technology that uses electric fields to move dust from surfaces and to prevent dust accumulation on surfaces. The EDS, which can lift, transport, and remove particles from surfaces with no moving parts, will be demonstrated for the first time on the lunar surface. This technology will show the feasibility of self-cleaning glass and thermal radiator surfaces. In addition to dust removal, the EDS will apply lunar dust to these surfaces using a new reduster technology that will lift and transport dust from the lunar surface to the desired location without moving parts or gasses. The EDS will be released from a fifth leg of the lander and positioned directly onto the lunar surface to maximize dust contact. High resolution images will determine the dust removal efficiency of the EDS on the lunar surface.
Type of Instrument: Dust Shield
Key Measurement: Demonstrate the operation of two Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) systems on the lunar surface: EDS for a small camera to be located under the lander’s deck and EDS on a white aluminum panel to be located on a lander’s footpad.
Task Order: CLPS TO19D
Lead Development Organization: Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory at NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC)
Payload PI: Charles Buhler

Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE)

LuGRE undergoing vibration testing.

NASA/GSFC

Summary: The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) will demonstrate Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based spacecraft navigation in transit to the Moon and on the lunar surface. This will open the door to operational use of existing Earth-based GNSS signals for real-time onboard positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) around the Moon, increasing mission capability while reducing reliance on ground networks for PNT. The LuGRE payload is a collaboration between NASA and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The payload will achieve three primary objectives: a) to receive GNSS signals at the Moon and characterize the signal environment, b) to demonstrate navigation and time estimation using GNSS data collected at the Moon, and c) utilize the collected data to support development of GNSS receivers specific to lunar use.
Type of Instrument: weak-signal GNSS radio receiver; a 14dBi high-gain GNSS antenna; and a low-noise amplifier
Key Measurement: GPS signal strength radio signals (GPS L1 C/A and L5 bands, and Galileo E1 and E5a bands)
Task Order: CLPS TO 19D
Lead Development Organization: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
Payload PI: Joel Parker