Sharmila is a Seattle-based science journalist. She found her love for astronomy in Carl Sagan's The Pale Blue Dot and has been hooked ever since. She holds an MA in Journalism from Northeastern University and has been a contributing writer for Astronomy Magazine since 2017. Follow her on Twitter at @skuthunur.
We're just hours away from what could be the first moon landing by an American spacecraft in 50 years, a success that would kickstart the nation's hope to eventually establish a long-term presence on the moon as part of its Artemis program.
Intuitive Machines' private Odysseus probe snaps 1st moon photo, enters lunar orbit ahead of historic landing attempt Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus moon lander deploys from the second stage of its SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Feb. 15, 2024., ferrying 12 payloads, six of which are NASA science and technology instruments. After sailing more than 620,000 miles , the telephone-booth-sized spacecraft aced maneuvers yesterday that "We're very excited, but we're also very nervous," said Jack Burns, a professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who's the principal investigator for one of the NASA science instruments onboard Odysseus."The success has been mixed in going to the surface of the moon." If all goes to plan today, Odysseus will land on the rim of a small crater called Malapert A, about 190 miles from the lunar the south pole on the Earth-facing side. Success would be historic, as no private probe has ever soft-landed on the moon before. and ended up crashing back to Earth. The Israeli Beresheet and Japanese Hakuto-R landers both reached lunar orbit but crashed during their touchdown tries, in Malapert A was the second site chosen for Odysseus' mission, which is known as IM-1. The first was in Oceanus Procellarum, the largest lunar basaltic plain, which is also a potential landing site for the"Landing near Malapert A also will help mission planners understand how to communicate and send data back to Earth from a location that is low on the lunar horizon," NASA said in a Malapert A is relatively flat and thus safe to land on, and Odysseus will target a landing area the size of an American football field, Burns said. During descent, the spacecraft will primarily rely on real-time images and onboard navigation software to adjust its speed and touch down gently near the crater.IM-1's surface mission is expected to last about half a lunar daytime, or roughly seven Earth days. during the day, so radiators built into the spacecraft are expected to protect it from getting too hot. However, the moon lander cannot survive a frigid night on the moon because there are no heaters on board to keep its electronics at operating temperature. Scientists expect observations to continue as long as the battery holds out, until a handful of hours after sunset. Future missions will likely be equipped with heaters to help spacecraft survive the harsh lunar night, said Burns. For this one, though,"we just want to land, do some good, solid science during the lunar day and declare victory."to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at:Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Sharmila is a Seattle-based science journalist. She found her love for astronomy in Carl Sagan's The Pale Blue Dot and has been hooked ever since. She holds an MA in Journalism from Northeastern University and has been a contributing writer for Astronomy Magazine since 2017. Follow her on Twitter at @skuthunur. What time will Intuitive Machines' private Odysseus probe land on the moon on Feb. 22? How to watch live
Please follow us on Google to support us United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Donna Kelce Claims She Doesn't Know If She'll Be in Super Bowl SuiteDonna Kelce has apparently forgotten that her son is dating a known billionaire -- 'cause she's out here acting like she might not be in the luxury suite come game time.
Read more »
How to watch SpaceX launch the private Intuitive Machines moon lander IM-1 on Feb. 14 live onlineTariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.
Read more »
Intuitive Machines is taking its shot at nailing the first commercial moon landingCheyenne is Engadget’s weekend editor and covers a little bit of everything. She’s particularly interested in emerging technology and niche gadgets, climate change, space, privacy, and internet culture. She’ll talk your ear off about Tamagotchis if you get her started.
Read more »
Six NASA Instruments Will Fly to Moon on Intuitive Machines LanderNASA is gearing up for a commercial robotic flight to the Moon under the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign.
Read more »
What time is SpaceX's IM-1 private moon lander launch for Intuitive Machines on Feb. 15?Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.
Read more »
Intuitive Machines’ moon lander sent home its first images and they’re breathtakingCheyenne is Engadget’s weekend editor and covers a little bit of everything. She’s particularly interested in emerging technology and niche gadgets, climate change, space, privacy, and internet culture. She’ll talk your ear off about Tamagotchis if you get her started.
Read more »