CNN Indonesia
Monday, 26 Feb 2024 11:23 IWST
It is reported that the Odysseus spacecraft crashed when it landed on the Moon. (Photo: intuitive machine dock)
Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Space probe United States, Odysseus, reportedly fell and ended up on his side when he landed in the south polar region Moon. Odysseus is the first US-made space probe to land on the moon in the last 50 years.
Intuitive Machines – the company that made the probe – and NASA said the robotic probe landed in the moon’s polar region on Thursday (22/2), but it took several minutes before the craft’s controllers could pick up a signal from the probe’s communications system.
Upon landing, Odysseus “got stuck on the surface and flipped over,” said Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus, and ended up on his side.
However, the lander “was near or at our intended landing site”, he said. NASA and Intuitive Machines said they had received data from the probe and believed most of the scientific instruments it carried were still functioning properly.
“This is truly an amazing day,” said Tim Crain, chief technology officer and co-founder of Intuitive Machines, at a press conference, Friday (23/2), citing The Guardian.
Odysseus landed in an area near the Malapert A crater, near the south pole of the Moon. The area is a treacherous terrain full of craters, but was chosen because experts believe it is rich in frozen water that could help support the Moon’s permanent future.
NASA paid Intuitive Machines $118 million to make the trip, as part of its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which awards contracts to private partners. This mission is part of the Artemis program to return astronauts to Earth’s natural satellite.
During the seven-day Odysseus mission, NASA hopes to analyze how the soil on the Moon’s surface reacts to the impact of the landing. NASA also sent other instruments as part of the probe’s payload, including communications devices.
The EagleCam instrument, a cube with a camera designed by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, was supposed to appear 30 seconds before landing to take pictures of Odysseus’ landing, but the device was intentionally turned off during landing because the navigation system had to be diverted.
Embry-Riddle’s Troy Henderson said his team will try releasing EagleCam in the next few days, so it can photograph the lander from a distance of about 8 meters.
With uncertainty still remaining regarding Odysseus’ position on the Moon, “getting the last photos of the lander on the surface is still a very important task for us,” Henderson said.
Odysseus’s landing, quote Space, make at least two notes. First, it was the first time a private spacecraft landed on the Moon.
Second, it was also the first time the US landed on the Moon again after the Apollo 17 mission last did so in December 1972, aka 52 years ago.
(tim/dmi)
Watch the Video Below:
2024-02-26 04:23:45
#Odysseus #Mission #Falls #Landing #Moon
