Chuck Darwin

US returns to lunar surface for first time in over 50 years: ‘Welcome to the moon’

The United States has returned to the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years after a privately-built spacecraft named Odysseus capped a nail-biting 73-minute descent from orbit with a touchdown near the moon’s south pole.

Amid celebrations of what Nasa hailed “a giant leap forward”, there was no immediate confirmation of the status or condition of the lander, other than it had reached its planned landing site at crater Malapert A.

But later Intuitive Machines, the Texas-based company that built the first commercial craft to land on the moon, said the craft was “upright and starting to send data”.

The statement on X said mission managers were “working to downlink the first images from the lunar surface”.

The so-called “soft landing” on Thursday, which Steve Altemus, the company’s founder, had given only an 80% chance of succeeding, was designed to open a new era of lunar exploration as Nasa works towards a scheduled late-2026 mission to send humans back there.
#MalapertA #intuitivemachines #MoonLanding #odysseus
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/feb/22/us-moon-landing-odysseus-intuitive-machines?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

US returns to lunar surface for first time in over 50 years: ‘Welcome to the moon’

Intuitive Machines’ spacecraft Odysseus lands after a 73-minute descent, touching down near moon’s south pole

The Guardian
Feb 23, 2024 at 3:45amWeb
Show threadChuck DarwinFeb 23, 2024

The lander, a 14ft (4.3 meter) hexagon-shaped craft with six legs, was aimed towards a landing at crater Malapert A, close to the lunar south pole.

Odysseus is carrying a payload of six Nasa science instruments and technology demonstrations as part of the agency’s commercial lunar payload services initiative.

It’s also carrying some other stuff – including 125 of Jeff Koons’ miniature moon sculptures.

From the moon’s orbit, the lander used autonomous systems to determine the best spot to land, slowing itself down as it propelled toward the surface.

There were some unexpected glitches along the way
–instead of using the primary navigation sensors as planned, the lander used a Lidar instrument provided by Nasa to guide its descent. The landing was delayed so that flight controllers could patch software.

There’s still a lot we don’t know about the circumstances of Odysseus’s landing.

Flight controllers will work to analyze communications and learn more about the descent, and whether the Odysseus will be able to carry on and complete its lunar missions

#MalapertA #intuitivemachines #MoonLanding #odysseus